THE    BIOGRAPHICAL  EDITION 

OF    THE    WORKS    OF 

ROBERT    LOUIS    STEVENSON 
NEW  ARABIAN   NIGHTS 


THE  BIOGRAPHICAL  EDITION 
OF  STEVENSON'S  WORKS 

NOVELS  AND  ROMANCES 
TREASURE  ISLAND 
PRINCE  OTTO 
KIDNAPPED 
THE  BLACK  ARROW 
THE  MASTER  OF  BALLANTRAE 
THE  WRONG  BOX 
THE  WRECKER 
DAVID  BALFOUR 
THE  EBB-TIDE 
WEIR  OF  HERMISTON 
ST.  IVES 

SHORTER  STORIES 
NEW  ARABIAN  NIGHTS 
THE  DYNAMITER 
THE  MERRY  MEN,  containing  DR.  JEKYLL 

AND  MR.  HYDE 
ISLAND  NIGHTS'  ENTERTAINMENTS 

ESS  A  YS,  TRA  VELS  &>  SKETCHES 
AN  INLAND  VOYAGE 
TRAVELS  WITH  A  DONKEY 
VIRGINIBUS  PUERISQUE 
FAMILIAR  STUDIES 
THE  AMATEUR  EMIGRANT,  containing-  THE 

SILVERADO  SQUATTERS 
MEMORIES  AND  PORTRAITS 
IN  THE  SOUTH  SEAS 
ACROSS  THE  PLAINS 
ESSAYS  OF  TRAVEL  AND  IN  THE  ART  OF 

WRITING 
LAY  MORALS  AND  OTHER  PAPERS 

POEMS 
POEMS  AND  BALLADS 

THE  LETTERS  OF  ROBERT  LOUIS 

STEVENSON".     4  vols. 
THE  LIFE  OF  ROBERT  LOUIS  STEVENSON 

By  Graham  Balfour.     Abridged  Edition  in  one  volume 


Thirty-one  volumes.    Sold  singly  or  in  sets 
CLOTH,  12 mo  LIMP  LEATHER,  i6mo 

CHARLES  SCRIBNER'S  SONS,  NEW  YORK 


BIOGRAPHICAL    EDITION 


NEW     JJi'-'i/v 
ARABIAN  NIGHTS 


BY 

ROBERT  LOUIS   STEVENSON 


WITH  A  PREFACE   BT  MRS.  STEfENSON 


NEW    YORK 
CHARLES    SCRIBNER'S    SONS 


COPYRIGHT,  1905,  BY 
•     CHARLES  SCRIBNER'S  SONS 

Printed  in  the  United  States  of  America 


All  rights  reserved.  No  part  of  this  book 
may  be  reproduced  in  any  form  without 
the  permission  of  Charles  Scribner's  Sons 


PREFACE 

TO 

THE    BIOGRAPHICAL    EDITION 


IT  seems  incredible  that  a  genius  -so  unusual  as 
that  of  Robert  Alan  Stevenson  should  pass 
out  of  existence,  leaving  nothing  more  for 
posterity  than  a  single  brilliant  volume  and  a  few 
desultory  papers  on  music  and  painting;  but  he 
was  a  dreamer  of  dreams,  without  ambitions,  who 
dwelt  alone  in  a  world  of  fantasy,  from  which  he 
would  sometimes  emerge  to  dazzle  his  friends  with 
wild  theories,  sound  philosophy,  unexpected  learn 
ing,  and  whimsical  absurdities,  all  jumbled  together 
and  presented  with  such  pertinent  reasoning  and 
certainty  of  the  truth  of  his  premises  that  his 
hearers  would  be  swept  off  their  feet. 

Running  through  the  contradictory  tangle  of 
his  mind  was  a  consistent  thread  of  religion,  an 
inheritance  from  a  long  line  of  pious  ancestors. 
Expatiating  on  the  glories  of  the  future  world, 

Copyright,  1905,  by  Charl«s  Scribner'i  Sons 

868749 


vi  PREFACE 

he  once  led  his  listeners  to  the  very  gates  of 
heaven.  If  they  knew,  he  continued,  that  this 
enchanting  region  lay  in  the  next  county,  free  to 
all  who  chose  to  expend  a  few  shillings,  who 
would  refuse  to  accompany  him?  Why  shrink 
from  using  the  equivalent  of  a  railway  ticket,  — 
just  a  few  pennies'  worth  of  prussic  acid?  How 
exhilarating  for  several  friends  —  say  the  present 
party  —  to  make  the  journey  in  company,  and 
hand  in  hand  embark  on  a  voyage  that  would 
end  in  paradise!  As  no  one  responded  to  this 
invitation,  he  went  on  to  describe  the  advantages 
of  a  suicide  train,  where  persons  weary  of  life 
might  engage  compartments.  There  would  be  no 
depressing  preparations  necessary;  only  the  choice 
of  a  route  either  quick  or  slow,  and  the  compan 
ions,  if  one  cared  for  companions,  suited  to  such 
an  enterprise.  The  subject,  thus  begun,  was  taken 
up  again  by  Robert  Alan  and  Robert  Louis,  result 
ing  in  the  invention  of  The  Suicide  Club,  Robert 
Alan  figuring  in  the  beginning  as  the  young  man 
with  the  cream  tarts,  while  the  Prince  of  Wales 
was  taken  as  the  model  for  Prince  Florizel. 

A  further  talk  between  the  cousins  developed 
the  plot  of  The  Hansom  Cab,  which  was  followed 
by  The  Rajah's  Diamond  that  completed  the  series 
of  New  Arabian  Nights.  Whenever  my  husband 


PREFACE  vii 

wished  to  depict  a  romantic,  erratic,  engaging 
character,  he  delved  into  the  rich  mine  of  his 
cousin's  personality.  Robert  Alan  served,  not  only 
for  the  young  man  with  the  cream  tarts,  but  as 
Paul  Somerset  in  The  Dynamiter  and  appeared 
in  certain  phases  of  Prince  Otto.  I  remember, 
in  those  days  of  wild  discussions  that  embraced 
everything  known  and  unknown  in  the  universe, 
some  one  advancing  the  theory  that  Robert  Alan 
and  Robert  Louis  were  the  component  parts  of  one 
individual  somehow  disrupted  by  a  cataclysm  of 
nature. 

A  journal  called  London,  edited  by  Mr.  W.  E. 
Henley,  had  just  been  launched  by  Mr.  Robert 
Glasgow  Brown.  It  was  foredoomed  to  failure, 
as  Mr.  Brown  was  not  possessed  of  sufficient  means 
to  carry  the  venture  far,  and  about  a  year  after 
his  death  it  ceased  to  exist.  Meanwhile  Mr.  Henley 
was  performing  prodigies  to  keep  it  afloat.  His 
own  salary  was  small,  and  the  limited  funds  at  his 
disposal  allowed  him  to  pay  next  to  nothing  to 
contributors.  Both  his  and  my  husband's  friends 
helped  so  far  as  they  could,  but  a  weekly  publica 
tion  made  too  heavy  a  drain  on  their  good  nature. 
It  often  happened  that  an  entire  number  of  London 
was  written  by  Mr.  Henley  and  my  husband  alone. 
As  something  in  the  way  of  light  fiction  was  re- 


viii  PREFACE 

quired  for  the  inside  sheets  of  the  paper,  The 
Suicide  Club  and  The  Rajah's  Diamond  were 
used  for  the  purpose.  The  circulation  of  London 
was  extremely  small,  and  very  few  persons  could 
have  been  aware  of  the  young  man  with  the 
cream  tarts,  or  of  Prince  Florizel  and  his  facto 
tum,  Colonel  Geraldine. 

There  were  occasions  when  the  journal  pre 
sented  the  odd  appearance  of  being  almost  wholly 
composed  of  verses.  This  occurred  when  the  too 
sanguine  editor  found  himself  disappointed  in 
hoped-for  contributions,  and  had  to  make  up  his 
pages  at  the  very  moment  of  going  to  press. 
Verses  filled  space  more  readily  than  prose,  and 
were  easier  to  do ;  in  such  emergencies  poem  after 
poem  would  be  dashed  off  by  Mr.  Henley  and  my 
husband  until  the  blanks  were  filled.  "  Hurry,  my 
lad,"  Mr.  Henley  would  shout ;  "  only  six  more 
lines  now ! "  My  husband  would  scratch  off  the 
six  lines,  hand  them  to  the  printer's  devil,  who 
stood  waiting  with  outstretched  hand,  and  the  sit 
uation  was  saved  for  another  week. 

For  some  five  or  six  years  the  New  Arabian 
Nights  lay  hidden  between  the  covers  of  the  de 
funct  journal.  Mr.  Keegan  Paul  advised  against 
their  republication,  thinking  the  tales  too  fantastic, 
and  likely  to  injure  the  reputation  of  their  author. 


PREFACE  ix 

There  was  not  a  single  story,  poem,  article,  or 
novel  written  by  my  husband  that  was  not  simi 
larly  condemned  by  some  one  of  his  friends  and 
literary  advisers. 

F.  V.  DE  G.  S. 


TO 
ROBERT   ALAN    MOWBRAY   STEVENSON 

IN   GRATEFUL  REMEMBRANCE  OF  THEIR  YOUTH 
AND    THEIR    ALREADY    OLD    AFFECTION 


NOTE 

I  MUST  prefix  a  word  of  thanks  to  the  gentleman  who 
condescended  to  borrow  the  gist  of  one  of  my  stories, 
and  even  to  honour  it  with  the  addition  of  his  signature. 
This  mark  of  appreciation  emboldened  me  to  make  the 
present  collection. 

R.  L.  S. 


CONTENTS 

PASB 
THE  SUICIDE  CLUB 

STORY  OF  THE  YOUNG  MAN  WITH  THE  CREAM 
TARTS 3 

STORY  OF  THE  PHYSICIAN  AND  THE  SARATOGA 
TRUNK. 46 

THE  ADVENTURE  OF  THE  HANSOM  CAB     ...      84 

THE  RAJAH'S  DIAMOND 

STORY  OF  THE  BANDBOX 115 

STORY  OF  THE  YOUNG  MAN  IN  HOLY  ORDERS  .  150 

STORY  OF  THE  HOUSE  WITH  THE  GREEN  BLINDS  173 
THE    ADVENTURE    OF    PRINCE    FLORIZEL    AND 

THE  DETECTIVE '"'.     .  217 

THE  PAVILION  ON  THE  LINKS 

CHAPTER 

I   TELLS  HOW  I  CAMPED  IN  GRADEN  SEA-WOOD, 

AND   BEHELD    A   LIGHT    IN   THE    PAVILION  .       .       229 

II   TELLS    OF    THE    NOCTURNAL  LANDING   FROM 

THE  YACHT 239 

III  TELLS  HOW  I  BECAME  ACQUAINTED  WITH    MY 

WIFE 248 

IV  TELLS    IN    WHAT    A    STARTLING    MANNER    I 

LEARNED  THAT  I  WAS  NOT  ALONE  IN  GRADEN 
SEA-WOOD  .  260 


xvi  CONTENTS 

CHAPTER                                                                                             PAOH 
V  TELLS    OF   AN  INTERVIEW    BETWEEN   NORTH- 
HOUR,  CLARA,  AND  MYSELF 271 

VI   TELLS  OF  MY  INTRODUCTION  TO  THE  TALL  MAN  279 
VII   TELLS    HOW    A   WORD   WAS    CRIED  THROUGH 

THE  PAVILION  WINDOW 288 

VIII   TELLS  THE  LAST  OF  THE  TALL  MAN      ...  297 
IX  TELLS    HOW    NORTHMOUR    CARRIED    OUT    HIS 

THREAT 307 

A  LODGING  FOR  THE  NIGHT 317 

THE  SIRE  DE  MALETROIT'S  DOOR 349 

PROVIDENCE  AND  THE  GUITAR 383 


THE    SUICIDE    CLUB 


THE    SUICIDE    CLUB 

STORY  OF  THE  YOUNG  MAN  WITH  THE 
CREAM  TARTS 

DURING  his  residence  in  London,  the  ac 
complished  Prince  Florizel  of  Bohemia 
gained  the  affection  of  all  classes  by  the 
seduction  of  his  manner  and  by  a  well-considered 
generosity.  He  was  a  remarkable  man  even  by 
what  was  known  of  him ;  and  that  was  but  a  small 
part  of  what  he  actually  did.  Although  of  a  placid 
temper  in  ordinary  circumstances,  and  accustomed 
to  take  the  world  with  as  much  philosophy  as  any 
ploughman,  the  Prince  of  Bohemia  was  not  with 
out  a  taste  for  ways  of  life  more  adventurous  and 
eccentric  than  that  to  which  he  was  destined  by 
his  birth.  Now  and  then,  when  he  fell  into  a  low 
humour,  when  there  was  no  laughable  play  to  wit 
ness  in  any  of  the  London  theatres,  and  when  the 
season  of  the  year  was  unsuitable  to  those  field 
sports  in  which  he  excelled  all  competitors,  he 
would  summon  his  confidant  and  Master  of  the 
Horse,  Colonel  Geraldine,  and  bid  him  prepare 
himself  against  an  evening  ramble.  The  Master 
of  the  Horse  was  a  young  officer  of  a  brave  and 
even  temerarious  disposition.  He  greeted  the 
news  with  delight,  and  hastened  to  make  ready. 


4         NEW    ARABIAN    NIGHTS 

Long  practice  and  a  varied  acquaintance  of  life 
had / giyeh* l>im  a  singular  facility  in  disguise;  he 
could  .adapt  not  only  his  face  and  bearing,  but  his 
xpk'e:  ;and* -almost  his  thoughts,  to  those  of  any 
rank,  character,  or  nation;  and  in  this  way  he 
diverted  attention  from  the  Prince,  and  sometimes 
gained  admission  for  the  pair  into  strange  .socie 
ties.  The  civil  authorities  were  never  taken  into 
the  secret  of  these  adventures;  the  imperturbable 
courage  of  the  one  and  the  ready  invention  and 
chivalrous  devotion  of  the  other  had  brought  them 
through  a  score  of  dangerous  passes;  and  they 
grew  in  confidence  as  time  went  on. 

One  evening  in  March  they  were  driven  by  a 
sharp  fall  of  sleet  into  an  Oyster  Bar  in  the 
immediate  neighbourhood  of  Leicester  Square. 
Colonel  Geraldine  was  dressed  and  painted  to 
represent  a  person  connected  with  the  Press  in 
reduced  circumstances;  while  the  Prince  had,  as 
usual,  travestied  his  appearance  by  the  addition 
of  false  whiskers  and  a  pair  of  large  adhesive 
eyebrows.  These  lent  him  a  shaggy  and  weather- 
beaten  air,  which,  for  one  of  his  urbanity,  formed 
the  most  impenetrable  disguise.  Thus  equipped, 
the  commander  and  his  satellite  sipped  their 
brandy  and  soda  in  security. 

The  bar  was  full  of  guests,  both  male  and 
female ;  but  though  more  than  one  of  these  offered 
to  fall  into  talk  with  our  adventurers,  none  of 
them  promised  to  grow  interesting  upon  a  nearer 
acquaintance.  There  was  nothing  present  but  the 
lees  of  London  and  the  commonplace  of  disre- 


N;EW    ARABIAN    NIGHTS         5 

spectability ;  and  the  Prince  had  already  fallen  to 
yawning,  and  was  beginning  to  grow  weary  of 
the  whole  excursion,  when  the  swing  doors  were 
pushed  violently  open,  and  a  young  man,  followed 
by  a  couple  of  commissionaires,  entered  the  bar. 
Each  of  the  commissionaires  carried  a  large  dish 
of  cream  tarts  under  a  cover,  which  they  at  once 
removed;  and  the  young  man  made  the  round 
of  the  company,  and  pressed  these  confections 
upon  every  one's  acceptance  with  an  exaggerated 
courtesy.  Sometimes  his  offer  was  laughingly  ac 
cepted;  sometimes  it  was  firmly,  or  even  harshly, 
rejected.  In  these  latter  cases  the  new-comer 
always  ate  the  tart  himself,  with  some  more  or 
less  humourous  commentary. 

At  last  he  accosted  Prince  Florizel. 

"  Sir,"  said  he,  with  a  profound  obeisance,  prof 
fering  the  tart  at  the  same  time  between  his  thumb 
and  forefinger,  "  will  you  so  far  honour  an  entire 
stranger?  I  can  answer  for  the  quality  of  the 
pastry,  having  eaten  two  dozen  and  three  of  them 
myself  since  five  o'clock." 

"I  am  in  the  habit,"  replied  the  Prince,  "of 
looking  not  so  much  to  the  nature  of  a  gift  as  to 
the  spirit  in  which  it  is  offered." 

"  The  spirit,  sir,"  returned  the  young  man,  with 
another  bow,  "  is  one  of  mockery." 

"Mockery?"  repeated  Florizel.  "And  whom 
do  you  propose  to  mock  ?  " 

"  I  am  not  here  to  expound  my  philosophy," 
replied  the  other,  "but  to  distribute  these  cream 
tarts.  If  I  mention  that  I  heartily  include  myself 


6         NEW    ARABIAN    NIGHTS 

in  the  ridicule  of  the  transaction,  I  hope  you  will 
consider  honour  satisfied  and  condescend.  If  not, 
you  will  constrain  me  to  eat.  my  twenty-eighth, 
and  I  own  to  being  weary  of  the  exercise." 

"  You  touch  me,"  said  the  Prince,  "  and  I  have 
all  the  will  in  the  world  to  rescue  you  from  this 
dilemma,  but  upon  one  condition.  If  my  friend 
and  I  eat  your  cakes  —  for  which  we  have  neither 
of  us  any  natural  inclination  —  we  shall  expect 
you  to  join  us  at  supper,  by  way  of  recompense/' 

The  young  man  seemed  to  reflect. 

"  I  have  still  several  dozen  upon  hand,"  he  said 
at  last ;  "  and  that  will  make  it  necessary  for  me 
to  visit  several  more  bars  before  my  great  affair 
is  concluded.  This  will  take  some  time;  and  if 
you  are  hungry " 

The  Prince  interrupted  him  with  a  polite  gesture. 

"  My  friend  and  I  will  accompany  you,"  he  said: 
"  for  we  have  already  a  deep  interest  in  your  very 
agreeable  mode  of  passing  an  evening.  And  now 
that  the  preliminaries  of  peace  are  settled,  allow 
me  to  sign  the  treaty  for  both." 

And  the  Prince  swallowed  the  tart  with  the  best 
grace  imaginable. 

"  It  is  delicious,"  said  he. 

"  I  perceive  you  are  a  connoisseur,"  replied  the 
young  man. 

Colonel  Geraldine  likewise  did  honour  to  the 
pastry;  and  every  one  in  that  bar  having  now 
either  accepted  or  refused  his  delicacies,  the  young 
man  with  the  cream  tarts  led  the  way  to  another 
and  similar  establishment.  The  two  commission- 


NEW    ARABIAN    NIGHTS         7 

aires,  who  seemed  to  have  grown  accustomed  to 
their  absurd  employment,  followed  immediately 
after;  and  the  Prince  and  the  Colonel  brought 
up  the  rear,  arm  in  arm,  and  smiling  to  each  other 
as  they  went.  In  this  order  the  company  visited 
two  other  taverns,  where  scenes  were  enacted  of 
a  like  nature  to  that  already  described  —  some 
refusing,  some  accepting,  the  favours  of  this 
vagabond  hospitality,  and  the  young  man  himself 
eating  each  rejected  tart. 

On  leaving  the  third  saloon  the  young  man 
counted  his  store.  There  were  but  nine  remain 
ing,  three  in  one  tray  and  six  in  the  other. 

"  Gentlemen,"  said  he,  addressing  himself  to  his 
two  new  followers,  "  I  am  unwilling  to  delay  your 
supper.  I  am  positively  sure  you  must  be  hungry. 
I  feel  that  I  owe  you  a  special  consideration.  And 
on  this  great  day  for  me,  when  I  am  closing  a 
career  of  folly  by  my  most  conspicuously  silly  ac 
tion,  I  wish  to  behave  handsomely  to  all  who  give 
me  countenance.  Gentlemen,  you  shall  wait  no 
longer.  Although  my  constitution  is  shattered  by 
previous  excesses,  at  the  risk  of  my  life  I  liquidate 
the  suspensory  condition." 

With  these  words  he  crushed  the  nine  remain 
ing  tarts  into  his  mouth,  and  swallowed  them  at  a 
single  movement  each.  Then,  turning  to  the  com 
missionaires,  he  gave  them  a  couple  of  sovereigns. 

"  I  have  to  thank  you,"  said  he,  "  for  your  ex 
traordinary  patience." 

And  he  dismissed  them  with  a  bow  apiece.  For 
some  seconds  he  stood  looking  at  the  purse  from 


8  '      NEW    ARABIAN    NIGHTS 

which  he  had  just  paid  his  assistants,  then,  with  a 
laugh,  he  tossed  it  into  the  middle  of  the  street, 
and  signified  his  readiness  for  supper. 

In  a  small  French  restaurant  in  Soho,  which  had 
enjoyed  an  exaggerated  reputation  for  some  little 
while,  but  had  already  begun  to  be  forgotten,  and 
in  a  private  room  up  two  pair  of  stairs,  the  three 
companions  made  a  very  elegant  supper,  and  drank 
three  or  four  bottles  of  champagne,  talking  the 
while  upon  indifferent  subjects.  The  young  man 
was  fluent  and  gay,  but  he  laughed  louder  than 
was  natural  in  a  person  of  polite  breeding;  his 
hands  trembled  violently,  and  his  voice  took  sudden 
and  surprising  inflections,  which  seemed  to  be 
independent  of  his  will.  The  dessert  had  been 
cleared  away,  and  all  three  had  lighted  their 
cigars,  when  the  Prince  addressed  him  in  these 
words : 

"  You  will,  I  am  sure,  pardon  my  curiosity. 
What  I  have  seen  of  you  has  greatly  pleased  but 
even  more  puzzled  me.  And  though  I  should  be 
loath  to  seem  indiscreet,  I  must  tell  you  that  my 
friend  and  I  are  persons  very  well  worthy  to  be 
entrusted  with  a  secret.  We  have  many  of  our 
own,  which  we  are  continually  revealing  to  im 
proper  ears.  And  if,  as  I  suppose,  your  story  is 
a  silly  one,  you  need  have  no  delicacy  with  us, 
who  are  two  of  the  silliest  men  in  England.  My 
name  is  Godall,  Theophilus  Godall;  my  friend  is 
Major  Alfred  Hammersmith  —  or  at  least,  such  is 
the  name  by  which  he  chooses  to  be  known.  We 
pass  our  lives  entirely  in  the  search  for  extrava- 


NEW    ARABIAN    NIGHTS         9 

gant  adventures;  and  there  is  no  extravagance 
with  which  we  are  not  capable  of  sympathy." 

"  I  like  you,  Mr.  Godall,"  returned  the  young 
man ;  "  you  inspire  me  with  a  natural  confidence ; 
and  I  have  not  the  slightest  objection  to  your 
friend,  the  Major;  whom  I  take  to  be  a  noble 
man  in  masquerade.  At  least,  I  am  sure  he  is  no 
soldier." 

The  Colonel  smiled  at  this  compliment  to  the 
perfection  of  his  art;  and  the  young  man  went 
on  in  a  more  animated  manner. 

"  There  is  every  reason  why  I  should  not  tell 
you  my  story.  Perhaps  that  is  just  the  reason  why 
I  am  going  to  do  so.  At  least,  you  seem  so  well 
prepared  to  hear  a  tale  of  silliness  that  I  cannot 
find  it  in  my  heart  to  disappoint  you.  My  name, 
in  spite  of  your  example,  I  shall  keep  to  myself. 
My  age  is  not  essential  to  the  narrative.  I  am 
descended  from  my  ancestors  by  ordinary  genera 
tion,  and  from  them  I  inherited  the  very  eligible 
human  tenement  which  I  still  occupy  and  a  fortune 
of  three  hundred  pounds  a  year.  I  suppose  they 
also  handed  on  to  me  a  hare-brain  humour,  which 
it  has  been  my  chief  delight  to  indulge.  I  received 
a  good  education.  I  can  play  the  violin  nearly 
well  enough  to  earn  money  in  the  orchestra  of  a 
penny  gaff,  but  not  quite.  The  same  remark  ap 
plies  to  the  flute  and  the  French  horn.  I  learned 
enough  of  whist  to  lose  about  a  hundred  a  year 
at  that  scientific  game.  My  acquaintance  with 
French  was  sufficient  to  enable  me  to  squander 
money  in  Paris  with  almost  the  same  facility  as 


io       NEW    ARABIAN    NIGHTS 

in  London.  In  short,  I  am  a  person  full  of  manly 
accomplishments.  I  have  had  every  sort  of  adven 
ture,  including  a  duel  about  nothing.  Only  two 
months  ago  I  met  a  young  lady  exactly  suited  to 
my  taste  in  mind  and  body;  I  found  my  heart 
melt;  I  saw  that  I  had  come  upon  my  fate  at  last, 
and  was  in  the  way  to  fall  in  love.  But  when  I 
came  to  reckon  up  what  remained  to  me  of  my 
capital,  I  found  it  amounted  to  something  less  than 
four  hundred  pounds!  I  ask  you  fairly  —  can  a 
man  who  respects  himself  fall  in  love  on  four 
hundred  pounds?  I  concluded,  certainly  not;  left 
the  presence  of  my  charmer,  and  slightly  acceler 
ating  my  usual  rate  of  expenditure,  came  this 
morning  to  my  last  eighty  pounds.  This  I  divided 
into  two  equal  parts;  forty  I  reserved  for  a  par 
ticular  purpose;  the  remaining  forty  I  was  to  dis 
sipate  before  the  night.  I  have  passed  a  very 
entertaining  day;  and  played  many  farces  besides 
that  of  the  cream  tarts  which  procured  me  the 
advantage  of  your  acquaintance;  for  I  was  deter 
mined,  as  I  told  you,  to  bring  a  foolish  career  to 
a  still  more  foolish  conclusion;  and  when  you  saw 
me  throw  my  purse  into  the  street,  the  forty  pounds 
were  at  an  end.  Now  you  know  me  as  well  as  I 
know  myself:  a  fool  but  consistent  in  his  folly; 
and,  as  I  will  ask  you  to  believe,  neither  a  whim 
perer  nor  a  coward." 

From  the  whole  tone  of  the  young  man's  state 
ment  it  was  plain  that  he  harboured  very  bitter 
and  contemptuous  thoughts  about  himself.  His 
auditors  were  led  to  imagine  that  his  love  affair 


NEW    ARABIAN    NIGHTS       n 

was  nearer  his  heart  than  he  admitted,  and  that 
he  had  a  design  on  his  own  life.  The  farce  of  the 
cream  tarts  began  to  have  very  much  the  air  of  a 
tragedy  in  disguise. 

"  Why,  is  this  not  odd,"  broke  out  Geraldine, 
giving  a  look  to  Prince  Florizel,  "  that  we  three 
fellows  should  have  met  by  the  merest  accident  in 
so  large  a  wilderness  as  London,  and  should  be  so 
nearly  in  the  same  condition  ?  " 

"  How  ?  "  cried  the  young  man.  "  Are  you,  too, 
ruined  ?  Is  this  supper  a  folly  like  my  cream  tarts  ? 
Has  the  devil  brought  three  of  his  own  together 
for  a  last  carouse  ?  " 

"  The  devil,  depend  upon  it,  can  sometimes  do 
a  very  gentlemanly  thing,"  returned  Prince  Flori 
zel ;  "  and  I  am  so  much  touched  by  this  coinci 
dence,  that,  although  we  are  not  entirely  in  the 
same  case,  I  am  going  to  put  an  end  to  the  dis 
parity.  Let  your  heroic  treatment  of  the  last 
cream  tarts  be  my  example." 

So  saying,  the  Prince  drew  out  his  purse  and 
took  from  it  a  small  bundle  of  bank-notes. 

;<  You  see,  I  was  a  week  or  so  behind  you,  but  I 
mean  to  catch  you  up  and  come  neck  and  neck 
into  the  winning-post,"  he  continued.  "  This," 
laying  one  of  the  notes  upon  the  table,  "  will  suf 
fice  for  the  bill.  As  for  the  rest " 

He  tossed  them  into  the  fire,  and  they  went  up 
the  chimney  in  a  single  blaze. 

The  young  man  tried  to  catch  his  arm,  but  as 
the  table  was  between  them  his  interference  came 
too  late. 


12       NEW    ARABIAN    NIGHTS 

"  Unhappy  man,"  he  cried,  "  you  should  not 
have  burned  them  all!  You  should  have  kept 
forty  pounds." 

"  Forty  pounds !  "  repeated  the  Prince.  "  Why, 
in  heaven's  name,  forty  pounds  ?  " 

"  Why  not  eighty?  "  cried  the  Colonel;  "  for  to 
my  certain  knowledge  there  must  have  been  a  hun 
dred  in  the  bundle." 

"  It  was  only  forty  pounds  he  needed,"  said  the 
young  man  gloomily.  "  But  without  them  there 
is  no  admission.  The  rule  is  strict.  Forty  pounds 
for  each.  Accursed  life,  where  a  man  cannot  even 
die  without  money !  " 

The  Prince  and  the  Colonel  exchanged  glances. 

"  Explain  yourself,"  said  the  latter.  "  I  have 
still  a  pocket-book  tolerably  well  lined,  and  I  need 
not  say  how  readily  I  would  share  my  wealth  with 
Godall.  But  I  must  know  to  what  end :  you  must 
certainly  tell  us  what  you  mean." 

The  young  man  seemed  to  awaken;  he  looked 
uneasily  from  one  to  the  other,  and  his  face  flushed 
deeply. 

''  You  are  not  fooling  me  ?  "  he  asked.  "  You 
are  indeed  ruined  men  like  me?  " 

"  Indeed,  I  am  for  my  part,"  replied  the  Colonel. 

"  And  for  mine,"  said  the  Prince,  "  I  have  given 
you  proof.  Who  but  a  ruined  man  would  throw 
his  notes  into  the  fire?  The  action  speaks  for 
itself." 

"  A  ruined  man  —  yes,"  returned  the  other  sus 
piciously,  "  or  else  a  millionaire." 

"  Enough,  sir,"  said  the  Prince ;  "  I  have  said 


NEW    ARABIAN    NIGHTS       13 

so,  and  I  am  not  accustomed  to  have  my  word 
remain  in  doubt." 

"  Ruined  ?  "  said  the  young  man.  "  Are  you 
ruined,  like  me?  Are  you,  after  a  life  of  indul 
gence,  come  to  such  a  pass  that  you  can  only  in 
dulge  yourself  in  one  thing  more?  Are  you"  — 
he  kept  lowering  his  voice  as  he  went  on  —  "  are 
you  going  to  give  yourselves  that  last  indulgence? 
Are  you  going  to  avoid  the  consequences  of  your 
folly  by  the  one  infallible  and  easy  path?  Are 
you  going  to  give  the  slip  to  the  sheriff's  officers 
of  conscience  by  the  one  open  door  ?  " 

Suddenly  he  broke  off  and  attempted  to  laugh. 

"  Here  is  your  health !  "  he  cried,  emptying  his 
glass,  "  and  good-night  to  you,  my  merry  ruined 


men." 


Colonel  Geraldine  caught  him  by  the  arm  as  he 
was  about  to  rise. 

1  You  lack  confidence  in  us,"  he  said,  "  and  you 
are  wrong.  To  all  your  questions  I  make  answer 
in  the  affirmative.  But  I  am  not  so  timid,  and  can 
speak  the  Queen's  English  plainly.  We  too,  like 
yourself,  have  had  enough  of  life,  and  are  deter 
mined  to  die.  Sooner  or  later,  alone  or  together, 
we  meant  to  seek  out  death  and  beard  him  where 
he  lies  ready.  Since  we  have  met  you,  and  your 
case  is  more  pressing,  let  it  be  to-night  —  and  at 
once  —  and,  if  you  will,  all  three  together.  Such 
a  penniless  trio,"  he  cried,  "  should  go  arm  in  arm 
into  the  halls  of  Pluto,  and  give  each  other  some 
countenance  among  the  shades !  " 

Geraldine  had  hit  exactly  on  the  manners  and 


I4       NEW    ARABIAN    NIGHTS 

intonations  that  became  the  part  he  was  playing. 
The  Prince  himself  was  disturbed,  and  looked  over 
at  his  confidant  with  a  shade  of  doubt.  As  for  the 
young  man,  the  flush  came  back  darkly  into  his 
cheek,  and  his  eyes  threw  out  a  spark  of  light. 

'  You  are  the  men  for  me !  "  he  cried,  with  an 
almost  terrible  gaiety.  "  Shake  hands  upon  the 
bargain!"  (his  hand  was  cold  and  wet.)  "  You 
little  know  in  what  a  company  you  will  begin  the 
march !  You  little  know  in  what  a  happy  moment 
for  yourselves  you  partook  of  my  cream  tarts! 
I  am  only  a  unit,  but  I  am  a  unit  in  an  army, 
I  know  Death's  private  door.  I  am  one  of  his 
familiars,  and  can  show  you  into  eternity  without 
ceremony  and  yet  without  scandal." 

They  called  upon  him  eagerly  to  explain  his 
meaning. 

"  Can  you  muster  eighty  pounds  between  you?  " 
he  demanded. 

Geraldine  ostentatiously  consulted  his  pocket- 
book,  and  replied  in  the  affirmative. 

"  Fortunate  beings ! "  cried  the  young  man. 
"  Forty  pounds  is  the  entry  money  of  the  Suicide 
Club." 

"The  Suicide  Club,"  said  the  Prince,  "why, 
what  the  devil  is  that?" 

"  Listen,"  said  the  young  man ;  "  this  is  the  age 
of  conveniences,  and  I  have  to  tell  you  of  the  last 
perfection  of  the  sort.  We  have  affairs  in  different 
places ;  and  hence  railways  were  invented.  Rail 
ways  separated  us  infallibly  from  our  friends ;  and 
so  telegraphs  were  made  that  we  might  communi- 


NEW    ARABIAN    NIGHTS       15 

cate  speedily  at  great  distances.  Even  in  hotels  we 
have  lifts  to  spare  us  a  climb  of  some  hundred 
steps.  Now,  we  know  that  life  is  only  a  stage  to 
play  the  fool  upon  as  long  as  the  part  amuses 
us.  There  was  one  more  convenience  lacking  to 
modern  comfort;  a  decent,  easy  way  to  quit  that 
stage;  the  back  stairs  to  liberty;  or,  as  I  said 
this  moment,  Death's  private  door.  This,  my  two 
fellow-rebels,  is  supplied  by  the  Suicide  Club.  Do 
not  suppose  that  you  and  I  are  alone,  or  even  ex 
ceptional,  in  the  highly  reasonable  desire  that  we 
profess.  A  large  number  of  our  fellow-men,  who 
have  grown  heartily  sick  of  the  performance  in 
which  they  are  expected  to  join  daily  and  all  their 
lives  long,  are  only  kept  from  flight  by  one  or  two 
considerations.  Some  have  families  who  would  be 
shocked,  or  even  blamed,  if  the  matter  became  pub 
lic;  others  have  a  weakness  at  heart  and  recoil 
from  the  circumstances  of  death.  That  is,  to  some 
extent,  my  own  experience.  I  cannot  put  a  pistol 
to  my  head  and  draw  the  trigger ;  for  "something 
stronger  than  myself  withholds  the  act;  and  al 
though  I  loathe  life,  I  have  not  strength  enough 
in  my  body  to  take  hold  of  death  and  be  done  with 
it.  For  such  as  I,  and  for  all  who  desire  to  be  out 
of  the  coil  without  posthumous  scandal,  the  Suicide 
Club  has  been  inaugurated.  How  this  has  been 
managed,  what  is  its  history,  or  what  may  be  its 
ramifications  in  other  lands,  I  am  myself  unin 
formed;  and  what  I  know  of  its  constitution,  I 
am  not  at  liberty  to  communicate  to  you.  To  this 
extent,  however,  I  am  at  your  service.  If  yon  are 


16       NEW    ARABIAN    NIGHTS 

truly  tired  of  life,  I  will  introduce  you  to-night  to 
a  meeting;  and  if  not  to-night,  at  least  some  time 
within  the  week,  you  will  be  easily  relieved  of 
your  existences.  It  is  now  "  (consulting  his  watch) 
"  eleven ;  by  half-past,  at  latest,  we  must  leave  this 
place;  so  that  you  have  half  an  hour  before  you 
to  consider  my  proposal.  It  is  more  serious  than 
a  cream  tart,"  he  added,  with  a  smile;  "  and  I 
suspect  more  palatable." 

"  More  serious,  certainly,"  returned  Colonel 
Geraldine ;  "  and  as  it  is  so  much  more  so,  will 
you  allow  me  five  minutes'  speech  in  private  with 
my  friend,  Mr.  Godall  ?  " 

"  It  is  only  fair,"  answered  the  young  man.  "  If 
you  will  permit,  I  will  retire." 

"  You  will  be  very  obliging,"  said  the  Colonel. 

As  soon  as  the  two  were  alone  —  "  What,"  said 
Prince  Florizel,  "  is  the  use  of  this  confabulation, 
Geraldine?  I  see  you  are  flurried,  whereas  my 
mind  is  very  tranquilly  made  up.  I  will  see  the 
end  of  this." 

"  Your  Highness,"  said  the  Colonel,  turning  pale, 
"  let  me  ask  you  to  consider  the  importance  of 
your  life,  not  only  to  your  friends,  but  to  the 
public  interest.  '  If  not  to-night/  said  this  mad 
man  ;  but  supposing  that  to-night  some  irreparable 
disaster  were  to  overtake  your  Highness's  person, 
what,  let  me  ask  you,  what  would  be  my  despair, 
and  what  the  concern  and  disaster  of  a  great 
nation?" 

"  I  will  see  the  end  of  this,"  repeated  the  Prince 
in  his  most  deliberate  tones ;  "  and  have  the  kind- 


NEW    ARABIAN    NIGHTS       17 

ness,  Colonel  Geraldine,  to  remember  and  respect 
your  word  of  honour  as  a  gentleman.  Under  no 
circumstances,  recollect,  nor  without  my  special 
authority,  are  you  to  betray  the  incognito  under 
which  I  choose  to  go  abroad.  These  were  my 
commands,  which  I  no\v  reiterate.  And  now,"  he 
added,  "  let  me  ask  you  to  call  for  the  bill." 

Colonel  Geraldine  bowed  in  submission;  but  he 
had  a  very  white  face  as  he  summoned  the  young 
man  of  the  cream  tarts,  and  issued  his  directions 
to  the  waiter.  The  Prince  preserved  his  undis 
turbed  demeanour,  and  described  a  Palais  Royal 
farce  to  the  young  suicide  with  great  humour  and 
gusto.  He  avoided  the  Colonel's  appealing  looks 
without  ostentation,  and  selected  another  cheroot 
with  more  than  usual  care.  Indeed,  he  was  now 
the  only  man  of  the  party  who  kept  any  command 
over  his  nerves. 

The  bill  was  discharged,  the  Prince  giving  the 
whole  change  of  the  note  to  the  astonished  waiter ; 
and  the  three  drove  off  in  a  four-wheeler.  They 
were  not  long  upon  the  way  before  the  cab  stopped 
at  the  entrance  to  a  rather  dark  court.  Here  all 
descended. 

After  Geraldine  had  paid  the  fare,  the  young 
man  turned,  and  addressed  Prince  Florizel  as 
follows : 

"  It  is  still  time,  Mr.  Godall,  to  make  good  your 
escape  into  thraldom.  And  for  you  too,  Major 
Hammersmith.  Reflect  well  before  you  take  an 
other  step ;  and  if  your  hearts  say  no  —  here  are 
the  cross-roads." 
VOL.  in.  — a 


i8       NEW    ARABIAN    NIGHTS 

"  Lead  on,  sir,"  said  the  Prince.  "  I  am  not 
the  man  to  go  back  from  a  thing  once  said." 

'  Your  coolness  does  me  good,"  replied  their 
guide.  "  I  have  never  seen  any  one  so  unmoved 
at  this  conjuncture;  and  yet  you  are  not  the  first 
whom  I  have  escorted  to  this  door.  More  than 
one  of  my  friends  has  preceded  me,  where  I  knew 
I  must  shortly  follow.  But  this  is  of  no  interest 
to  you.  Wait  me  here  for  only  a  few  moments; 
I  shall  return  as  soon  as  I  -have  arranged  the  pre 
liminaries  of  your  introduction." 

And  with  that  the  young  man,  waving  his  hami 
to  his  companions,  turned  into  the  court,  entered 
a  doorway  and  disappeared. 

"  Of  all  our  follies,"  said  Colonel  Geraldine  in 
a  low  voice,  "  this  is  the  wildest  and  most 
dangerous." 

"  I  perfectly  believe  so,"  returned  the  Prince. 

"  We  have  still,"  pursued  the  Colonel,  "  a  mo 
ment  to  ourselves.  Let  me  beseech  your  Highness 
to  profit  by  the  opportunity  and  retire.  The  con 
sequences  of  this  step  are  so  dark,  and  may  be  so 
grave,  that  I  feel  myself  justified  in  pushing  a  little 
farther  than  usual  the  liberty  which  your  Highness 
is  so  condescending  as  to  allow  me  in  private." 

"  Am  I  to  understand  that  Colonel  Geraldine  is 
afraid  ?  "  asked  his  Highness,  taking  his  cheroot 
from  his  lips,  and  looking  keenly  into  the  other's 
face. 

"  My  fear  is  certainly  not  personal,"  replied  the 
other  proudly ;  "  of  that  your  Highness  may  rest 
well  assured." 


NEW    ARABIAN    NIGHTS       19 

"  I  had  supposed  as  much,"  returned  the  Prince, 
with  undisturbed  good  humour ;  "  but  I  was  un 
willing  to  remind  you  of  the  difference  in  our 
stations.  No  more  —  no  more,"  he  added,  see 
ing  Geraldine  about  to  apologise,  "  you  stand 
excused." 

And  he  smoked  placidly,  leaning  against  a  rail 
ing,  until  the  young  man  returned. 

"  Well,"  he  asked,  "  has  our  reception  been 
arranged  ?  " 

"  Follow  me,"  was  the  reply.  "  The  President 
will  see  you  in  the  cabinet.  And  let  me  warn  you 
to  be  frank  in  your  answers.  I  have  stood  your 
guarantee;  but  the  club  requires  a  searching  in 
quiry  before  admission;  for  the  indiscretion  of  a 
single  member  would  lead  to  the  dispersion  of  the 
whole  society  for  ever." 

The  Prince  and  Geraldine  put  their  heads  to 
gether  for  a  moment.  "  Bear  me  out  in  this," 
said  the  one;  and  "  bear  me  out  in  that,"  said  the 
other;  and  by  boldly  taking  up  the  characters  of 
men  with  whom  both  were  acquainted,  they  had 
come  to  an  agreement  in  a  twinkling,  and  were 
ready  to  follow  their  guide  into  the  President's 
cabinet. 

There  were  no  formidable  obstacles  to  pass. 
The  outer  door  stood  open;  the  door  of  the  cabi 
net  was  ajar;  and  there,  in  a  small  but  very  high 
apartment,  the  young  man  left  them  once  more. 

"  He  will  be  here  immediately,"  he  said  with  a 
nod,  as  he  disappeared. 

Voices  were  audible  in  the  cabinet  through  the 


20       NEW    ARABIAN    NIGHTS 

folding-doors  which  formed  one  end ;  and  now 
and  then  the  noise  of  a  champagne  cork,  fol 
lowed  by  a  burst  of  laughter,  intervened  among 
the  sounds  of  conversation.  A  single  tall  window 
looked  out  upon  the  river  and  the  embankment ; 
and  by  the  disposition  of  the  lights  they  judged 
themselves  not  far  from  Charing  Cross  station. 
The  furniture  was  scanty,  and  the  coverings  worn 
to  the  thread;  and  there  was  nothing  movable 
except  a  hand-bell  in  the  centre  of  a  round  table, 
and  the  hats  and  coats  of  a  considerable  party 
hung  round  the  wall  on  pegs. 

"  What  sort  of  a  den  is  this  ?  "  said  Geraldine. 

"  That  is  what  I  have  come  to  see/'  replied  the 
Prince.  "If  they  keep  live  devils  on  the  premises, 
the  thing  may  grow  amusing." 

Just  then  the  folding-door  was  opened  no  more 
than  was  necessary  for  the  passage  of  a  human 
body;  and  there  entered  at  the  same  moment  a 
louder  buzz  of  talk,  and  the  redoubtable  President 
of  the  Suicide  Club.  The  President  was  a  man 
of  fifty  or  upwards;  large  and  rambling  in  his 
gait,  with  shaggy  side-whiskers,  a  bald  top  to  his 
head,  and  a  veiled  grey  eye,  which  now  and  then 
emitted  a  twinkle.  His  mouth,  which  embraced 
a  large  cigar,  he  kept  continually  screwing  round 
and  round  and  from  side  to  side,  as  he  looked 
sagaciously  and  coldly  at  the  strangers.  He  was 
dressed  in  light  tweeds,  with  his  neck  very  open, 
in  a  striped  shirt  collar;  and  carried  a  minute 
book  under  one  arm. 

"  Good-evening,"  said  he,  after  he  had  closed 


NKW    ARABIAN     NIC;  1 1  IS       21 

tin-  door  !H  liin.l  him.  "  I  am  told  you  wish  to 
speak  with  me." 

11  We  have  a  desire,  sir,  to  join  the  Suicide 
Club,"  replied  (he  Colonel. 

'Hie  President  rolled  his  cigar  about  in  hit 
mouth. 

"  What   is  that?"  he  said  abruptly. 

"  Paidon  nn«,"  returned  the  Colonel,  "but  I  be* 
lieve  you  are  the  person  best  qualified  to  give  us 
information  on  that  point." 

"I?"  cried  the  President.  "A  Suicide  Club? 
Come,  come!  this  is  a  frolic  for  All  Kools'  Day.  I 
can  make  allowances  for  gentlemen  who  get  merry 
HI  their  liquor;  but  let  there  be  an  end  to  this." 

"Call  your  Club  what  you  will,"  said  the 
Colonel,  "you  have  some  company  behind  these 
doors,  and  we  insist  on  joining  it." 

"  Sir,"  returned  the  President,  curtly,  "  you  have 
made  a  mistake.  This  is  a  private  house,  and  you 
must  leave  it  instantly." 

The  Prince  had  remained  quietly  "in  his  seat 
throughout  this  little  colloquy;  but  now,  when 
the  Colonel  looked  over  to  him,  as  much  as  to 
say,  "  Take  your  answer  and  come  away,  for 
Cod's  sake!"  he  drew  his  cheroot  from  his 
mouth,  and  spoke. 

"  I  have  come  here,"  said  he,  "  upon  the  invita 
tion  of  a  friend  of  yours.  He  has  doubtless  in 
formed  you  of  my  intention  in  thus  intruding  on 
your  party.  Let  me  remind  you  that  a  person  in 
my  circumstances  has  exceedingly  little  to  bind 
him,  and  is  not  at  all  likely  to  tolerate  much 


22       NEW    ARABIAN    NIGHTS 

rudeness.  I  am  a  very  quiet  man,  as  a  usual 
thing;  but,  my  dear  sir,  you  are  either  going  to 
oblige  me  in  the  little  matter  of  which  you  are 
aware,  or  you  shall  very  bitterly  repent  that  you 
ever  admitted  me  to  your  ante-chamber." 

The  President  laughed  aloud. 

"  That  is  the  way  to  speak,"  said  he.  "  You  are 
a  man  who  is  a  man.  You  know  the  way  to  my 
heart,  and  can  do  what  you  like  with  me.  Will 
you,"  he  continued,  addressing  Geraldine,  "  will 
you  step  aside  for  a  few  minutes?  I  shall  finish 
first  with  your  companion,  and  some  of  the  club's 
formalities  require  to  be  fulfilled  in  private." 

With  these  words  he  opened  the  door  of  a  small 
closet,  into  which  he  shut  the  Colonel. 

"  I  believe  in  you,"  he  said  to  Florizel,  as  soon 
as  they  were  alone ;  "  but  are  you  sure  of  your 
friend?" 

"  Not  so  sure  as  I  am  of  myself,  though  he  has 
more  cogent  reasons,"  answered  Florizel,  "  but 
sure  enough  to  bring  him  here  without  alarm.  He 
has  had  enough  to  cure  the  most  tenacious  man 
of  life.  He  was  cashiered  the  other  day  for  cheat 
ing  at  cards." 

"  A  good  reason,  I  dare  say,"  replied  the  Presi 
dent  ;  "  at  least,  we  have  another  in  the  same  case, 
and  I  feel  sure  of  him.  Have  you  also  been  in  the 
Service,  may  I  ask?  " 

"  I  have,"  was  the  reply ;  "  but  I  was  too  lazy, 
I  left  it  early." 

"  What  is  your  reason  for  being  tired  of  life  ?  " 
pursued  the  President. 


NEW    ARABIAN    NIGHTS       23 

"  The  same,  as  near  as  I  can  make  cut,"  answered 
the  Prince;  "unadulterated  laziness." 

The  President  started.  "  D— n  it,"  said  he, 
"  you  must  have  something  better  than  that." 

"  I  have  no  more  money,"  added  Florizel. 
"  That  is  also  a  vexation,  without  doubt.  It 
brings  my  sense  of  idleness  to  an  acute  point." 

The  President  rolled  his  cigar  round  in  his 
mouth  for  some  seconds,  directing  his  gaze  straight 
into  the  eyes  of  this  unusual  neophyte;  but  the 
Prince  supported  his  scrutiny  with  unabashed  good 
temper. 

"If  I  had  not  a  deal  of  experience,"  said  the 
President  at  last,  "  I  should  turn  you  off.  But  I 
know  the  world ;  and  this  much  any  way,  that  the 
most  frivolous  excuses  for  a  suicide  are  often  the 
toughest  to  stand  by.  And  when  I  downright  like 
a  man,  as  I  do  you,  sir,  I  would  rather  strain  the 
regulation  than  deny  him." 

The  Prince  and  the  Colonel,  one  after  the  other, 
were  subjected  to  a  long  and  particular  interrog 
atory  :  the  Prince  alone ;  but  Geraldine  in  the  pres 
ence  of  the  Prince,  so  that  the  President  might 
observe  the  countenance  of  the  one  while  the  other 
was  being  warmly  cross-examined.  The  result 
was  satisfactory;  and  the  President,  after  having 
booked  a  few  details  of  each  case,  produced  a  form 
of  oath  to  be  accepted.  Nothing  could  be  con 
ceived  more  passive  than  the  obedience  promised, 
or  more  stringent  than  the  terms  by  which  the  juror 
bound  himself.  The  man  who  forfeited  a  pledge 
so  awful  could  scarcely  have  a  rag  of  honour  or 


24       NEW    ARABIAN    NIGHTS 

any  of  the  consolations  of  religion  left  to  him. 
Florizel  signed  the  document,  but  not  without  a 
shudder;  the  Colonel  followed  his  example  with 
an  air  of  great  depression.  Then  the  President 
received  the  entry  money;  and  without  more  ado, 
introduced  the  two  friends  into  the  smoking-room 
of  the  Suicide  Club. 

The  smoking-room  of  the  Suicide  Club  was  the 
same  height  as  the  cabinet  into  which  it  opened, 
but  much  larger,  and  papered  from  top  to  bottom 
with  an  imitation  of  oak  wainscot.  A  large  and 
cheerful  fire  and  a  number  of  gas-jets  illuminated 
the  company.  The  Prince  and  his  follower  made 
the  number  up  to  eighteen.  Most  of  the  party 
were  smoking,  and  drinking  champagne;  a  fever 
ish  hilarity  reigned,  with  sudden  and  rather  ghastly 
pauses. 

"Is  this  a  full  meeting?"  asked  the  Prince. 

"  Middling,"  said  the  President.  "  By  the  way," 
he  added,  "  if  you  have  any  money,  it  is  usual  to 
offer  some  champagne.  It  keeps  up  a  good  spirit, 
and  is  one  of  my  own  little  perquisites." 

"  Hammersmith,"  said  Florizel,  "  I  may  leave 
the  champagne  to  you." 

And  with  that  he  turned  away  and  began  to  go 
round  among  the  guests.  Accustomed  to  play  the 
host  in  the  highest  circles,  he  charmed  and  domi 
nated  all  whom  he  approached ;  there  was  some 
thing  at  once  winning  and  authoritative  in  his 
address;  and  his  extraordinary  coolness  gave  him 
yet  another  distinction  in  this  half-maniacal  society. 
As  he  went  from  one  to  another  he  kept  both  his 


NEW    ARABIAN    NIGHTS       25 

eyes  and  ears  open,  and  soon  began  to  gain  a  gen 
eral  idea  of  the  people  among  whom  he  found  him 
self.  As  in  all  other  places  of  resort,  one  type 
predominated :  people  in  the  prime  of  youth,  with 
every  show  of  intelligence  and  sensibility  in  their 
appearance,  but  with  little  promise  of  strength  or 
the  quality  that  makes  success.  Few  were  much 
above  thirty,  and  not  a  few  were  still  in  their  teens. 
They  stood,  leaning  on  tables  and  shifting  on  their 
feet;  sometimes  they  smoked  extraordinarily  fast, 
and  sometimes  they  let  their  cigars  go  out;  some 
talked  well,  but  the  conversation  of  others  was 
plainly  the  result  of  nervous  tension,  and  was 
equally  without  wit  or  purport.  As  each  new 
bottle  of  champagne  was  opened,  there  was  a  mani 
fest  improvement  in  gaiety.  Only  two  were  seated 
-  one  in  a  chair  in  the  recess  of  the  window,  with 
his  head  hanging  and  his  hands  plunged  deep  into 
his  trouser  pockets,  pale,  visibly  moist  with  per 
spiration,  saying  never  a  word,  a  very  wreck  of 
soul  and  body ;  the  other  sat  on  the  divan  close  by 
the  chimney,  and  attracted  notice  by  a  trenchant 
dissimilarity  from  all  the  rest.  He  was  probably 
upwards  of  forty,  but  he  looked  fully  ten  years 
older;  and  Florizel  thought  he  had  never  seen  a 
man  more  naturally  hideous,  nor  one  more  rav 
aged  by  disease  and  ruinous  excitements.  He  was 
no  more  than  skin  and  bone,  was  partly  paralysed, 
and  wore  spectacles  of  such  unusual  power,  that 
his  eyes  appeared  through  the  glasses  greatly  mag 
nified  and  distorted  in  shape.  Except  the  Prince 
and  the  President,  he  was  the  only  person  in  the 


16       NEW    ARABIAN    NIGHTS 

room  who  preserved  the  composure  of  ordinary 
life. 

There  was  little  decency  among  the  members  of 
the  club.  Some  boasted  of  the  disgraceful  actions, 
the  consequences  of  which  had  reduced  them  to 
seek  refuge  in  death ;  and  the  others  listened  with 
out  disapproval.  There  was  a  tacit  understanding 
against  moral  judgments;  and  whoever  passed  the 
club  doors  enjoyed  already  some  of  the  immunities 
of  the  tomb.  They  drank  to  each  other' s  memories, 
and  to  those  of  notable  suicides  in  the  past.  They 
compared  and  developed  their  different  views  of 
death  —  some  declaring  that  it  was  no  more  than 
blackness  and  cessation ;  others  full  of  a  hope  that 
that  very  night  they  should  be  scaling  the  stars  and 
commercing  with  the  mighty  dead. 

"  To  the  eternal  memory  of  Baron  Trenck,  the 
type  of  suicides!  "  cried  one.  "  He  went  out  of  a 
small  cell  into  a  smaller,  that  he  might  come  forth 
again  to  freedom." 

"  For  my  part,"  said  a  second,  "  I  wish  no  more 
than  a  bandage  for  my  eyes  and  cotton  for  my 
ears.  Only  they  have  no  cotton  thick  enough  in 
this  world." 

A  third  was  for  reading  the  mysteries  of  life  in 
a  future  state;  and  a  fourth  professed  that  he 
would  never  have  joined  the  club,  if  he  had  not 
been  induced  to  believe  in  Mr.  Darwin. 

"  I  could  not  bear,"  said  this  remarkable  suicide, 
"  to  be  descended  from  an  ape." 

Altogether,  the  Prince  was  disappointed  by  the 
bearing  and  conversation  of  the  members. 


NEW    ARABIAN    NIGHTS       27 

"  It  does  not  seem  to  me,"  he  thought,  "  a  matter 
for  so  much  disturbance.  If  a  man  has  made  up 
his  mind  to  kill  himself,  let  him  do  it,  in  God's 
name,  like  a  gentleman.  This  flutter  and  big  talk 
is  out  of  place." 

In  the  meanwhile  Colonel  Geraldine  was  a  prey 
to  the  blackest  apprehensions;  the  club  and  its 
rules  were  still  a  mystery,  and  he  looked  round  the 
room  for  some  one  who  should  be  able  to  set  his 
mind  at  rest.  In  this  survey  his  eye  lighted  on  the 
paralytic  person  with  the  strong  spectacles;  and 
seeing  him  so  exceedingly  tranquil,  he  besought 
the  President,  who  was  going  in  and  out  of  the 
room  under  a  pressure  of  business,  to  present  him 
to  the  gentleman  on  the  divan. 

The  functionary  explained  the  needlessness  of 
all  such  formalities  within  the  club,  but  neverthe 
less  presented  Mr.  Hammersmith  to  Mr.  Malthus. 

Mr.  Malthus  looked  at  the  Colonel  curiously,  and 
then  requested  him  to  take  a  seat  upon  his  right. 

"  You  are  a  new-comer,"  he  said,  "  and  wish 
information  ?  You  have  come  to  the  proper  source. 
It  is  two  years  since  I  first  visited  this  charming 
club." 

The  Colonel  breathed  again.  If  Mr.  Malthus 
had  frequented  the  place  for  two  years  there  could 
be  little  danger  for  the  Prince  in  a  single  evening. 
But  Geraldine  was  none  the  less  astonished,  and 
began  to  suspect  a  mystification. 

"  What!  "  cried  he,  "  two  years!  I  thought  — 
but  indeed  I  see  I  have  been  made  the  subject  of  a 
pleasantry." 


28       NEW    ARABIAN    NIGHTS 

"  By  no  means,"  replied  Mr.  *  Malthus  mildly. 
"  My  case  is  peculiar.  I  am  not,  properly  speak 
ing,  a  suicide  at  all ;  but,  as  it  were,  an  honorary 
member.  I  rarely  visit  the  club  twice  in  two 
months.  My  infirmity  and  the  kindness  of  the 
President  have  procured  me  these  little  immuni 
ties,  for  which  besides  I  pay  at  an  advanced  rate. 
Even  as  it  is  my  luck  has  been  extraordinary." 

"  I  am  afraid,"  said  the  Colonel,  "  that  I  must 
ask  you  to  be  more  explicit.  You  must  remember 
that  I  am  still  most  imperfectly  acquainted  with 
the  rules  of  the  club." 

"  An  ordinary  member  who  comes  here  in  search 
of  death  like  yourself,"  replied  the  paralytic,  "  re 
turns  every  evening  until  fortune  favours  him.  He 
can,  even  if  he  is  penniless,  get  board  and  lodging 
from  the  President :  very  fair,  I  believe,  and  clean, 
although,  of  course,  not  luxurious;  that  could 
hardly  be,  considering  the  exiguity  (if  I  may  so 
express  myself)  of  the  subscription.  And  then 
the  President's  company  is  a  delicacy  in  itself." 

"  Indeed !  "  cried  Geraldine,  "  he  had  not  greatly 
prepossessed  me." 

"  Ah !  "  said  Mr.  Malthus,  "  you  do  not  know 
the  man :  the  drollest  fellow !  What  stories ! 
What  cynicism !  He  knows  life  to  admiration 
and,  between  ourselves,  is  probably  the  most  cor 
rupt  rogue  in  Christendom." 

"  And  he  also,"  asked  the  Colonel,  "  is  a  per 
manency  —  like  yourself,  if  I  may  say  so  without 
offence?" 

"  Indeed,  he  is  a  permanency  in  a  very  different 


NEW    ARABIAN    NIGHTS       29 

sense  from  me/'  replied  Mr.  Malthus.  "  I  have 
been  graciously  spared,  but  I  must  go  at  last. 
Now  he  never  plays.  He  shuffles  and  deals  for 
the  club,  and  makes  the  necessary  arrangements. 
That  man,  my  dear  Mr.  Hammersmith,  is  the  very 
soul  of  ingenuity.  For  three  years  he  has  pursued 
in  London  his  useful  and,  I  think  I  may  add,  his 
artistic  calling;  and  not  so  much  as  a  whisper  of 
suspicion  has  been  once  aroused.  I  believe  him 
myself  to  be  inspired.  You  doubtless  remember 
the  celebrated  case,  six  months  ago,  of  the  gentle 
man  who  was  accidentally  poisoned  in  a  chemist's 
shop?  That  was  one  of  the  least  rich,  one  of  the 
least  racy,  of  his  notions;  but  then,  how  simple! 
and  how  safe !  " 

"You  astound  me,"  said  the  Colonel.  "Was 
that  unfortunate  gentleman  one  of  the  — "  he 
was  about  to  say  "  victims ;  "  but  bethinking  him 
self  in  time,  he  substituted  — "  members  of  the 
club?" 

In  the  same  flash  of  thought  it  occurred  to  him 
that  Mr.  Malthus  himself  had  not  at  all  spoken 
in  the  tone  of  one  who  is  in  love  with  death;  and 
he  added  hurriedly: 

"  But  I  perceive  I  am  still  in  the  dark.  You 
speak  of  shuffling  and  dealing;  pray  for  what 
end?  And  since  you  seem  rather  unwilling  to  die 
than  otherwise,  I  must  own  that  I  cannot  conceive 
what  brings  you  here  at  all." 

"  You  say  truly  that  you  are  in  the  dark,"  re 
plied  Mr.  Malthus  with  more  animation.  "  Why, 
my  dear  sir,  this  club  is  the  temple  of  intoxication. 


jo       NEW    ARABIAN    NIGHTS 

If  my  enfeebled  health  could  support  the  excite 
ment  more  often,  you  may  depend  upon  it  I  should 
be  more  often  here.  It  requires  all  the  sense  of 
duty  engendered  by  a  long  habit  of  ill-health  and 
careful  regimen,  to  keep  me  from  excess  in  this, 
which  is,  I  may  say,  my  last  dissipation.  I  have 
tried  them  all,  sir,"  he  went  on,  laying  his  hand 
on  Geraldine's  arm,  "  all  without  exception,  and 
I  declare  to  you,  upon  my  honour,  there  is  not  one 
of  them  that  has  not  been  grossly  and  untruth 
fully  overrated.  People  trifle  with  love.  Now,  I 
deny  that  love  is  a  strong  passion.  Fear  is  the 
strong  passion;  it  is  with  fear  that  you  must 
trifle,  if  you  wish  to  taste  the  intense  joys  of  liv 
ing.  Envy  me  —  envy  me,  sir,"  he  added  with  a 
chuckle,  "  I  am  a  coward !  " 

Geraldine  could  scarcely  repress  a  movement  of 
repulsion  for  this  deplorable  wretch;  but  he  com 
manded  himself  with  an  effort,  and  continued  his 
inquiries. 

"  How,  sir,"  he  asked,  "  is  the  excitement  so 
artfully  prolonged?  and  where  is  there  any  ele 
ment  of  uncertainty  ?  " 

"  I  must  tell  you  how  the  victim  for  every  even 
ing  is  selected,"  returned  Mr.  Malthus ;  "  and  not 
only  the  victim,  but  another  member,  who  is  to  be 
the  instrument  in  the  club's  hands,  and  death's  high 
priest  for  that  occasion." 

"  Good  God!  "  said  the  Colonel,  "  do  they  then 
kill  each  other?" 

"  The  trouble  of  suicide  is  removed  in  that  wait." 
returned  Malthus  with  a  nod. 


NEW    ARABIAN    NIGHTS       31 

"  Merciful  Heavens !  "  ejaculated  the  Colonel, 
"  and  may  you  —  may  I  —  may  the  —  my  friend, 
I  mean  —  may  any  of  us  be  pitched  upon  this 
evening  as  the  slayer  of  another  man's  body  and 
immortal  spirit?  Can  such  things  be  possible 
among  men  born  of  women?  Oh!  infamy  of 
infamies !  " 

He  was  about  to  rise  in  his  horror,  when  he 
caught  the  Prince's  eye.  It  was  fixed  upon  him 
from  across  the  room  with  a  frowning  and  angry 
stare.  And  in  a  moment  Geraldine  recovered  his 
composure. 

"  After  all,"  he  added,  "why  not?  And  since 
you  say  the  game  is  interesting,  vogue  la  galere  — 
I  follow  the  club !  " 

Mr.  Malthus  had  keenly  enjoyed  the  Colonel's 
amazement  and  disgust.  He  had  the  vanity  of 
wickedness;  and  it  pleased  him  to  see  another 
man  give  way  to  a  generous  movement,  while  he 
felt  himself,  in  his  entire  corruption,  superior  to 
such  emotions. 

"  You  now,  after  your  first  moment  of  surprise," 
said  he,  "  are  in  a  position  to  appreciate  the  de 
lights  of  our  society.  You  can  see  how  it  com 
bines  the  excitement  of  a  gaming-table,  a  duel, 
and  a  Roman  amphitheatre.  The  Pagans  did  well 
enough ;  I  cordially  admire  the  refinement  of  their 
minds;  but  it  has  been  reserved  for  a  Christian 
country  to  attain  this  extreme,  this  quintessence, 
this  absolute  of  poignancy.  You  will  understand 
how  vapid  are  all  amusements  to  a  man  who  has 
acquired  a  taste  for  this  one.  The  game  we  play," 


32       NEW    ARABIAN    NIGHTS 

he  continued,"  "  is  one  of  extreme  simplicity.  A 
full  pack  —  but  I  perceive  you  are  about  to  see 
the  thing  in  progress.  Will  you  lend  me  the  help 
of  your  arm?  I  am  unfortunately  paralysed." 

Indeed,  just  as  Mr.  Malthus  was  beginning  his 
description,  another  pair  of  folding-doors  was 
thrown  open,  and  the  whole  club  began  to  pass, 
not  without  some  hurry,  into  the  adjoining  room. 
It  was  similar  in  every  respect  to  the  one  from 
which  it  was  entered,  but  somewhat  differently 
furnished.  The  centre  was  occupied  by  a  long 
green  table,  at  which  the  President  sat  shuffling 
a  pack  of  cards  with  great  particularity.  Even 
with  the  stick  and  the  Colonel's  arm,  Mr.  Malthus 
walked  with  so  much  difficulty  that  every  one  was 
seated  before  this  pair  and  the  Prince,  who  had 
waited  for  them,  entered  the  apartment;  and,  in 
consequence,  the  three  took  seats  close  together  at 
the  lower  end  of  the  board. 

"  It  is  a  pack  of  fifty-two,"  whispered  Mr.  Mal 
thus.  "  Watch  for  the  ace  of  spades,  which  is  the 
sign  of  death,  and  the  ace  of  clubs,  which  desig 
nates  the  official  of  the  night.  Happy,  happy  young 
men !  "  he  added.  "  You  have  good  eyes,  and  can 
follow  the  game.  Alas !  I  cannot  tell  an  ace  from 
a  deuce  across  the  table." 

And  he  proceeded  to  equip  himself  with  a  second 
pair  of  spectacles. 

"  I  must  at  least  watch  the  faces,"  he  explained. 

The  Colonel  rapidly  informed  his  friend  of  all 
that  he  had  learned  from  the  honorary  member, 
and  of  the  horrible  alternative  that  lay  before 


NEW    ARABIAN    NIGHTS       33 

them.  The  Prince  was  conscious  of  a  deadly  chill 
and  a  contraction  about  his  heart;  he  swallowed 
with  difficulty,  and  looked  from  side  to  side  like 
a  man  in  a  maze. 

"  One  bold  stroke,"  whispered  the  Colonel,  "  and 
we  may  still  escape." 

But  the  suggestion  recalled  the  Prince's  spirits. 

"  Silence !  "  said  he.  "  Let  me  see  that  you 
can  play  like  a  gentleman  for  any  stake,  how 
ever  serious." 

And  he  looked  about  him,  once  more  to  all 
appearance  at  his  ease,  although  his  heart  beat 
thickly,  and  he  was  conscious  of  an  unpleasant 
heat  in  his  bosom.  The  members  were  all  very 
quiet  and  intent;  every  one  was  pale,  but  none  so 
pale  as  Mr.  Malthus.  His  eyes  protruded;  his 
head  kept  nodding  involuntarily  upon  his  spine; 
his  hands  found  their  way,  one  after  the  other,  to 
his  mouth,  where  they  made  clutches  at  his  tremu 
lous  and  ashen  lips.  It  was  plain  that  the  honorary 
member  enjoyed  his  membership  on  very  startling 
terms. 

"  Attention,  gentlemen !  "  said  the  President. 

And  he  began  slowly  dealing  the  cards  about  the 
table  in  the  reverse  direction,  pausing  until  each 
man  had  shown  his  card.  Nearly  every  one  hesi 
tated;  and  sometimes  you  would  see  a  player's 
fingers  stumble  more  than  once  before  he  could 
turn  over  the  momentous  slip  of  pasteboard.  As 
the  Prince's  turn  drew  nearer,  he  was  conscious 
of  a  growing  and  almost  suffocating  excitement; 
but  he  had  somewhat  of  the  gambler's  nature,  and 

VOL.   III. —  1 


34       NEW    ARABIAN    NIGHTS 

recognised  almost  with  astonishment  that  there  was 
a  degree  of  pleasure  in  his  sensations.  The  nine 
of  clubs  fell  to  his  lot;  the  three  of  spades  was 
dealt  to  Geraldine;  and  the  queen  of  hearts  to 
Mr.  Malthus,  who  was  unable  to  suppress  a  sob 
of  relief.  The  young  man  of  the  cream  tarts 
almost  immediately  afterwards  turned  over  the 
ace  of  clubs,  and  remained  frozen  with  horror, 
the  card  still  resting  on  his  finger;  he  had  not 
come  there  to  kill,  but  to  be  killed;  and  the 
Prince,  in  his  generous  sympathy  with  his  posi 
tion,  almost  forgot  the  peril  that  still  hung  over 
himself  and  his  friend. 

The  deal  was  coming  round  again,  and  still 
Death's  card  had  not  come  out.  The  players  held 
their  respiration,  and  only  breathed  by  gasps.  The 
Prince  received  another  club ;  Geraldine  had  a  dia 
mond;  but  when  Mr.  Malthus  turned  up  his  card 
a  horrible  noise,  like  that  of  something  breaking, 
issued  from  his  mouth;  and  he  rose  from  his  seat 
and  sat  down  again,  with  no  sign  of  his  paralysis. 
It  was  the  ace  of  spades.  The  honorary  member 
had  trifled  once  too  often  with  his  terrors. 

Conversation  broke  out  again  almost  at  once. 
The  players  relaxed  their  rigid  attitudes,  and  be 
gan  to  rise  from  the  table  and  stroll  back  by  twos 
and  threes  into  the  smoking-room.  The  President 
stretched  his  arms  and  yawned,  like  a  man  who 
had  finished  his  day's  work.  But  Mr.  Malthus  sat 
in  his  place,  with  his  head  in  his  hands,  and  his 
hands  upon  the  table,  drunk  and  motionless  —  a 
thing  stricken  down. 


NEW    ARABIAN    NIGHTS       35 

The  Prince  and  Geraldine  made  their  escape  at 
once.  In  the  cold  night  air  their  horror  of  what 
they  had  witnessed  was  redoubled. 

"  Alas !  "  cried  the  Prince,  "  to  be  bound  by  an 
oath  in  such  a  matter!  to  allow  this  wholesale 
trade  in  murder  to  be  continued  with  profit  and 
impunity!  If  I  but  dared  to  forfeit  nay  pledge!  " 

*  That  is  impossible  for  your  Highness,"  re 
plied  the  Colonel,  "  whose  honour  is  the  honour 
of  Bohemia.  But  I  dare,  and  may  with  propriety, 
forfeit  mine." 

"  Geraldine,"  said  the  Prince,  "  if  your  honour 
suffers  in  any  of  the  adventures  into  which  you 
follow  me,  not  only  will  I  never  pardon  you,  but 
—  what  I  believe  will  much  more  sensibly  affect 
you  —  I  should  never  forgive  myself." 

"  I  receive  your  Highness's  commands,"  replied 
the  Colonel.  "  Shall  we  go  from  this  accursed 
spot?" 

"  Yes,"  said  the  Prince.  "  Call  a  cab  in  Heaven's 
name,  and  let  me  try  to  forget  in  slumber  the  mem 
ory  of  this  night's  disgrace." 

But  it  was  notable  that  he  carefully  read  the 
name  of  the  court  before  he  left  it. 

The  next  morning,  as  soon  as  the  Prince  was  stir 
ring,  Colonel  Geraldine  brought  him  a  daily  news 
paper,  with  the  following  paragraph  marked: 

"  MELANCHOLY  ACCIDENT.  —  This  morning, 
about  two  o'clock,  Mr.  Bartholomew  Malthus,  of 
1 6  Chepstow  Place,  Westbourne  Grove,  on  his 
way  home  from  a  party  at  a  friend's  house,  fell 
over  the  upper  parapet  in  Trafalgar  Square,  frac- 


36       NEW    ARABIAN    NIGHTS 

luring  his  skull  and  breaking  a  leg  and  an  arm. 
Death  was  instantaneous.  Mr.  Malthus,  accom 
panied  by  a  friend,  was  engaged  in  looking  for  a 
cab  at  the  time  of  the  unfortunate  occurrence.  As 
Mr.  Malthus  was  paralytic,  it  is  thought  that  his 
fall  may  have  been  occasioned  by  another  seizure. 
The  unhappy  gentleman  was  well  known  in  the 
most  respectable  circles,  and  his  loss  will  be  widely 
and  deeply  deplored." 

"  If  ever  a  soul  went  straight  to  Hell,"  said 
Geraldine  solemnly,  "  it  was  that  paralytic  man's." 

The  Prince  buried  his  face  in  his  hands,  and 
remained  silent. 

"  I  am  almost  rejoiced,"  continued  the  Colonel, 
"  to  know  that  he  is  dead.  But  for  our  young 
man  of  the  cream  tarts  I  confess  my  heart  bleeds." 

"  Geraldine,"  said  the  Prince,  raising  his  face, 
"  that  unhappy  lad  was  last  night  as  innocent  as 
you  and  I ;  and  this  morning  the  guilt  of  blood  is 
on  his  soul.  When  I  think  of  the  President,  my 
heart  grows  sick  within  me.  I  do  not  know  how 
it  shall  be  done,  but  I  shall  have  that  scoundrel  at 
my  mercy  as  there  is  a  God  in  heaven.  What  an 
experience,  what  a  lesson,  was  that  game  of 
cards!" 

"  One,"  said  the  Colonel,  "  never  to  be  repeated." 

The  Prince  remained  so  long  without  replying, 
that  Geraldine  grew  alarmed. 

"  You  cannot  mean  to  return,"  he  said.  "  You 
have  suffered  too  much,  and  seen  too  much  horror 
already.  The  duties  of  your  high  position  forbid 
the  repetition  of  the  hazard." 


NEW    ARABIAN    NIGHTS       37 

"  There  is  much  in  what  you  say,"  replied  Prince 
Florizel,  "  and  I  am  not  altogether  pleased  with 
my  own  determination.  Alas!  in  the  clothes  of 
the  greatest  potentate,  what  is  there  but  a  man? 
I  never  felt  my  weakness  more  acutely  than  now, 
Geraldine,  but  it  is  stronger  than  I.  Can  I  cease 
to  interest  myself  in  the  fortunes  of  the  unhappy 
young  man  who  supped  with  us  some  hours  ago? 
Can  I  leave  the  President  to  follow  his  nefarious 
career  unwatched?  Can  I  begin  an  adventure  so 
entrancing,  and  not  follow  it  to  an  end?  No, 
Geraldine;  you  ask  of  the  Prince  more  than  the 
man  is  able  to  perform.  To-night,  once  more,  we 
take  our  places  at  the  table  of  the  Suicide  Club/'' 

Colonel  Geraldine  fell  upon  his  knees. 

"  Will  your  Highness  take  my  life  ?  "  he  cried. 
"  It  is  his  —  his  freely ;  but  do  not,  O  do  not !  let 
him  ask  me  to  countenance  so  terrible  a  risk." 

"  Colonel  Geraldine,"  replied  the  Prince,  with 
some  haughtiness  of  manner,  "  your  life  is  abso 
lutely  your  own.  I  only  looked  for  obedience; 
and  when  that  is  unwillingly  rendered,  I  shall  look 
for  that  no  longer.  I  add  one  word:  your  im 
portunity  in  this  affair  has  been  sufficient." 

The  Master  of  the  Horse  regained  his  feet  at 
once.  "  Your  Highness,"  he  said,  "  may  I  be  ex 
cused  in  my  attendance  this  afternoon?  I  dare 
not,  as  an  honourable  man,  venture  a  second  time 
into  that  fatal  house  until  I  have  perfectly  ordered 
my  affairs.  Your  Highness  shall  meet,  I  promise 
him,  with  no  more  opposition  from  the  most  de 
voted  and  grateful  of  his  servants," 


38       NEW    ARABIAN    NIGHTS 

"My  dear  Geraldine,"  returned  Prince  Florizel, 
"  I  always  regret  when  you  oblige  me  to  remember 
my  rank.  Dispose  of  your  day  as  you  think  fit, 
but  be  here  before  eleven  in  the  same  disguise." 

The  club,  on  this  second  evening,  was  not  so 
fully  attended ;  and  when  Geraldine  and  the  Prince 
arrived,  there  were  not  above  half-a-dozen  per 
sons  in  the  smoking-room.  His  Highness  took 
the  President  aside  and  congratulated  him  warmly 
on  the  demise  of  Mr.  Malthus. 

"  I  like,"  he  said,  "  to  meet  with  capacity,  and 
certainly  find  much  of  it  in  you.  Your  profession 
is  of  a  very  delicate  nature,  but  I  see  you  are  well 
qualified  to  conduct  it  with  success  and  secrecy." 

The  President  was  somewhat  affected  by  these 
compliments  from  one  of  his  Highness's  superior 
bearing.  He  acknowledged  them  almost  with 
humility. 

"Poor  Malthy!"  he  added,  "I  shall  hardly 
know  the  club  without  him.  The  most  of  my 
patrons  are  boys,  sir,  and  poetical  boys,  who  are 
not  much  company  for  me.  Not  but  what  Malthy 
had  some  poetry,  too;  but  it  was  of  a  kind  that  I 
could  understand." 

"  I  can  readily  imagine  you  should  find  yourself 
in  sympathy  with  Mr.  Malthus,"  returned  the 
Prince.  "  He  struck  me  as  a  man  of  a  very 
original  disposition." 

The  young  man  of  the  cream  tarts  was  in  the 
room,  but  painfully  depressed  and  silent.  His 
late  companions  sought  in  vain  to  lead  him  into 
conversation. 


NEW    ARABIAN    NIGHTS       39 

"How  bitterly  I  wish,"  he  cried,  "that  I  had 
never  brought  you  to  this  infamous  abode!  Be 
gone,  while  you  are  clean-handed.  If  you  could 
have  heard  the  old  man  scream  as  he  fell, 
and  the  noise  of  his  bones  upon  the  pavement! 
Wish  me,  if  you  have  any  kindness  to  so  fallen 
a  being  —  wish  the  ace  of  spades  for  me  to 
night!" 

A  few  more  members  dropped  in  as  the  evening 
went  on,  but  the  club  did  not  muster  more  than  the 
devil's  dozen  when  they  took  their  places  at  the 
table.  The  Prince  was  again  conscious  of  a  certain 
joy  in  his  alarms;  but  he  was  astonished  to  see 
Geraldine  so  much  more  self-possessed  than  on  the 
night  before. 

"  It  is  extraordinary,"  thought  the  Prince,  "  that 
a  will,  made  or  unmade,  should  so  greatly  influence 
a  young  man's  spirit." 

"  Attention,  gentlemen !  "  said  the  President,  and 
he  began  to  deal. 

Three  times  the  cards  went  all  round  the  table, 
and  neither  of  the  marked  cards  had  yet  fallen  from 
his  hand.  The  excitement  as  he  began  the  fourth 
distribution  was  overwhelming.  There  were  just 
cards  enough  to  go  once  more  entirely  round.  The 
Prince,  who  sat  second  from  the  dealer's  left,  would 
receive,  in  the  reverse  mode  of  dealing  practised 
at  the  club,  the  second  last  card.  The  third  player 
turned  up  a  black  ace  —  it  was  the  ace  of  clubs. 
The  next  received  a  diamond,  the  next  a  heart, 
and  so  on;  but  the  ace  of  spades  was  still  unde 
livered.  At  last  Geraldine,  who  sat  upon  the 


40       NEW   ARABIAN    NIGHTS 

Prince's  left,  turned  his  card;  it  was  an  ace,  but 
the  ace  of  hearts. 

When  Prince  Florizel  saw  his  fate  upon  the  table 
in  front  of  him,  his  heart  stood  still.  He  was  a 
brave  man,  but  the  sweat  poured  off  his  face. 
There  were  exactly  fifty  chances  out  of  a  hundred 
that  he  was  doomed.  He  reversed  the  card;  it 
was  the  ace  of  spades.  A  loud  roaring-  filled  his 
brain,  and  the  table  swam  before  his  eyes.  He 
heard  the  player  on  his  right  break  into  a  fit  of 
laughter  that  sounded  between  mirth  and  disap 
pointment;  he  saw  the  company  rapidly  dispers 
ing,  but  his  mind  was  full  of  other  thoughts.  He 
recognised  how  foolish,  how  criminal,  had  been  his 
conduct.  In  perfect  health,  in  the  prime  of  his 
years,  the  heir  to  a  throne,  he  had  gambled  away 
his  future  and  that  of  a  brave  and  loyal  country. 
"  God,"  he  cried,  "  God  forgive  me!  "  And  with 
that,  the  confusion  of  his  senses  passed  away,  and 
he  regained  his  self-possession  in  a  moment. 

To  his  surprise  Geraldine  had  disappeared. 
There  was  no  one  in  the  card-room  but  his  des 
tined  butcher  consulting  with  the  President,  and 
the  young  man  of  the  cream  tarts,  who  slipped  up 
to  the  Prince  and  whispered  in  his  ear: 

"  I  would  give  a  million,  if  I  had  it,  for  your 
luck." 

His  Highness  could  not  help  reflecting,  as  the 
young  man  departed,  that  he  would  have  sold  his 
opportunity  for  a  much  more  moderate  sum. 

The  whispered  conference  now  came  to  an  end. 
The  holder  of  the  ace  of  clubs  left  the  room  with  a 


NEW   ARABIAN    NIGHTS       41 

look  of  intelligence,  and  the  President,  approaching 
the  unfortunate  Prince,  proffered  him  his  hand. 

"  I  am  pleased  to  have  met  you,  sir,"  said  he, 
"  and  pleased  to  have  been  in  a  position  to  do  you 
this  trifling  service.  At  least,  you  cannot  complain 
of  delay.  On  the  second  evening  —  what  a  stroke 
of  luck!" 

The  Prince  endeavoured  in  vain  to  articulate 
something  in  response,  but  his  mouth  was  dry  and 
his  tongue  seemed  paralysed. 

"  You  feel  a  little  sickish  ? "  asked  the  Presi 
dent,  with  some  show  of  solicitude.  "  Most  gen 
tlemen  do.  Will  you  take  a  little  brandy?  " 

The  Prince  signified  in  the  affirmative,  and  the 
other  immediately  filled  some  of  the  spirit  into  a 
tumbler. 

"  Poor  old  Malthy !  "  ejaculated  the  President, 
as  the  Prince  drained  the  glass.  "  He  drank  near 
upon  a  pint,  and  little  enough  good  it  seemed  to  do 
him !  " 

"  I  am  more  amenable  to  treatment,"  said  the 
Prince,  a  good  deal  revived.  "  I  am  my  own  man 
again  at  once,  as  you  perceive.  And  so,  let  me  ask 
you,  what  are  my  directions  ?  " 

"  You  will  proceed  along  the  Strand  in  the  direc 
tion  of  the  City,  and  on  the  left-hand  pavement, 
until  you  meet  the  gentleman  who  has  just  left  the 
room.  He  will  continue  your  instructions,  and  him 
you  will  have  the  kindness  to  obey;  the  authority 
of  the  club  is  vested  in  his  person  for  the  night. 
And  now,"  added  the  President,  "  I  wish  you  a 
pleasant  walk." 


42       NEW   ARABIAN    NIGHTS 

Florizel  acknowledged  the  salutation  rather  awk 
wardly,  and  took  his  leave.  He  passed  through 
the  smoking-room,  where  the  bulk  of  the  players 
were  still  consuming  champagne,  some  of  which 
he  had  himself  ordered  and  paid  for;  and  he  was 
surprised  to  find  himself  cursing  them  in  his  heart. 
He  put  on  his  hat  and  great-coat  in  the  cabinet, 
and  selected  his  umbrella  from  a  corner.  The 
familiarity  of  these  acts,  and  the  thought  that  he 
was  about  them  for  the  last  time,  betrayed  him 
into  a  fit  of  laughter  which  sounded  unpleasantly 
in  his  own  ears.  He  conceived  a  reluctance  to 
leave  the  cabinet,  and  turned  instead  to  the  window. 
The  sight  of  the  lamps  and  the  darkness  recalled 
him  to  himself. 

"  Come,  come,  I  must  be  a  man,"  he  thought, 
"  and  tear  myself  away." 

At  the  corner  of  Box  Court  three  men  fell  upon 
Prince  Florizel  and  he  was  unceremoniously  thrust 
into  a  carriage,  which  at  once  drove  rapidly  away. 
There  was  already  an  occupant. 

"  Will  your  Highness  pardon  my  zeal?  "  said  a 
well-known  voice. 

The  Prince  threw  himself  upon  the  Colonel's 
neck  in  a  passion  of  relief. 

"  How  can  I  ever  thank  you  ?  "  he  cried.  "  And 
how  was  this  effected  ?  " 

Although  he  had  been  willing  to  march  upon  his 
doom,  he  was  overjoyed  to  yield  to  friendly  vio 
lence,  and  return  once  more  to  life  and  hope. 

"  You  can  thank  me  effectually  enough,"  replied 
the  Colonel,  "  by  avoiding  all  such  dangers  in  the 


NEW   ARABIAN    NIGHTS       43 

future.  And  as  for  your  second  question,  all  has 
been  managed  by  the  simplest  means.  I  arranged 
this  afternoon  with  a  celebrated  detective.  Secrecy 
has  been  promised  and  paid  for.  Your  own  ser 
vants  have  been  principally  engaged  in  the  affair. 
The  house  in  Box  Court  has  been  surrounded  since 
nightfall,  and  this,  which  is  one  of  your  own  car 
riages,  has  been  awaiting  you  for  nearly  an  hour." 

"  And  the  miserable  creature  who  was  to  have 
slain  me  —  what  of  him?  "  inquired  the  Prince. 

"  He  was  pinioned  as  he  left  the  club,"  replied 
the  Colonel,  "  and  now  awaits  your  sentence  at 
the  Palace,  where  he  will  soon  be  joined  by  his 
accomplices." 

"  Geraldine,"  said  the  Prince,  "  you  have  saved 
me  against  my  explicit  orders,  and  you  have  done 
well.  I  owe  you  not  only  my  life,  but  a  lesson; 
and  I  should  be  unworthy  of  my  rank  if  I  did 
not  show  myself  grateful  to  my  teacher.  Let  it 
be  yours  to  choose  the  manner." 

There  was  a  pause,  during  which  the  carriage 
continued  to  speed  through  the  streets,  and  the  two 
men  were  each  buried  in  his  own  reflections.  The 
silence  was  broken  by  Colonel  Geraldine. 

"  Your  Highness,"  said  he,  "  has  by  this  time  a 
considerable  body  of  prisoners.  There  is  at  least 
one  criminal  among  the  number  to  whom  justice 
should  be  dealt.  Our  oath  forbids  us  all  recourse 
to  law;  and  discretion  would  forbid  it  equally  if 
the  oath  were  loosened.  May  I  inquire  your  High- 
ness's  intention  ?  " 

"It  is  decided,"  answered  Florizel;  "the  Presi- 


44       NEW    ARABIAN    NIGHTS 

dent  must  fall  in  duel.     It  only  remains  to  choose 
his  adversary." 

'  Your  Highness  has  permitted  me  to  name  my 
own  recompense,"  said  the  Colonel.  "  Will  he  per 
mit  me  to  ask  the  appointment  of  my  brother?  It 
is  an  honourable  post,  but  I  dare  assure  your  High 
ness  that  the  lad  will  acquit  himself  with  credit." 

'*  You  ask  me  an  ungracious  favour,"  said  the 
Prince,  "  but  I  must  refuse  you  nothing." 

The  Colonel  kissed  his  hand  with  the  great 
est  affection;  and  at  that  moment  the  carriage 
rolled  under  the  archway  of  the  Prince's  splendid 
residence. 

An  hour  after,  Florizel  in  his  official  robes,  and 
covered  with  all  the  orders  of  Bohemia,  received 
the  members  of  the  Suicide  Club. 

"  Foolish  and  wicked  men,"  said  he,  "  as  many 
of  you  as  have  been  driven  into  this  strait  by  the 
lack  of  fortune  shall  receive  employment  and  re 
muneration  from  my  officers.  Those  who  suffer 
under  a  sense  of  guilt  must  have  recourse  to  a 
higher  and  more  generous  Potentate  than  I.  I 
feel  pity  for  all  of  you,  deeper  than  you  can  im 
agine;  to-morrow  you  shall  tell  me  your  stories; 
and  as  you  answer  more  frankly,  I  shall  be  the 
more  able  to  remedy  your  misfortunes.  As  for 
you,"  he  added,  turning  to  the  President,  "  I  should 
only  offend  a  person  of  your  parts  by  any  offer  of 
assistance;  but  I  have  instead  a  piece  of  diversion 
to  propose  to  you.  Here,"  laying  his  hand  on  the 
shoulder  of  Colonel  Geraldine's  young  brother,  "  is 
an  officer  of  mine  who  desires  to  make  a  little  tour 


NEW    ARABIAN    NIGHTS       45 

upon  the  Continent;  and  I  ask  you,  as  a  favour, 
to  accompany  him  on  this  excursion.  Do  you,"  he 
went  on,  changing  his  tone,  "  do  you  shoot  well 
with  the  pistol?  Because  you  may  have  need  of 
that  accomplishment.  When  two  men  go  travel 
ling  together,  it  is  best  to  be  prepared  for  all.  Let 
me  add  that,  if  by  any  chance  you  should  lose 
young  Mr.  Geraldine  upon  the  way,  I  shall  always 
have  another  member  of  my  household  to  place  at 
your  disposal ;  and  I  am  known,  Mr.  President, 
to  have  long  eyesight,  and  as  long  an  arm." 

With  these  words,  said  with  much  sternness,  the 
Prince  concluded  his  address.  Next  morning  the 
members  of  the  club  were  suitably  provided  for  by 
his  munificence,  and  the  President  set  forth  upon 
his  travels,  under  the  supervision  of  Mr.  Geraldine, 
and  a  pair  of  faithful  and  adroit  lackeys,  well 
trained  in  the  Prince's  household.  Not  content 
with  this,  discreet  agents  were  put  in  possession 
of  the  house  of  Box  Court,  and  all  letters  of  vis 
itors  for  the  Suicide  Club  or  its  officials  were  to 
be  examined  by  Prince  Florizel  in  person. 

Here  (says  my  Arabian  author)  ends  THE  STORY 
OF  THE  YOUNG  MAN  WITH  THE  CREAM  TARTS, 
who  is  now  a  comfortable  householder  in  Wigmore 
Street,  Cavendish  Square.  The  number,  for  obvi 
ous  reasons,  I  suppress.  Those  who  care  to  pursue 
the  adventures  of  Prince  Florizel  and  the  President 
of  the  Suicide  Club,  may  read  the  HISTORY  OF  THE 
PHYSICIAN  AND  THE  SARATOGA  TRUNK. 


STORY   OF   THE   PHYSICIAN   AND   THE 
SARATOGA   TRUNK 

MR.  SILAS  Q.  SCUDDAMORE  was  a 
young  American  of  a  simple  and  harm 
less  disposition,  which  was  the  more  to 
his  credit  as  he  came  from  New  England  —  a  quar 
ter  of  the  New  World  not  precisely  famous  for 
those  qualities.  Although  he  was  exceedingly  rich, 
he  kept  a  note  of  all  his  expenses  in  a  little  paper 
pocket-book;  and  he  had  chosen  to  study  the  at 
tractions  of  Paris  from  the  seventh  story  of  what 
is  called  a  furnished  hotel,  in  the  Latin  Quarter. 
There  was  a  great  deal  of  habit  in  his  penurious- 
ness;  and  his  virtue,  which  was  very  remarkable 
among  his  associates,  was  principally  founded  upon 
diffidence  and  youth. 

The  next  room  to  his  was  inhabited  by  a  lady, 
very  attractive  in  her  air  and  very  elegant  in 
toilette,  whom,  on  his  first  arrival,  he  had  taken 
for  a  Countess.  In  course  of  time  he  had  learned 
that  she  was  known  by  the  name  of  Madame 
Zephyrine,  and  that  whatever  station  she  occupied 
in  life  it  was  not  that  of  a  person  of  title.  Madame 
Zephyrine,  probably  in  the  hope  of  enchanting  the 
young  American,  used  to  flaunt  by  him  on  the 
stairs  with  a  civil  inclination,  a  word  of  course, 
and  a  knock-down  look  out  of  her  black  eyes,  ancl 


NEW    ARABIAN    NIGHTS       47 

disappear  in  a  rustle  of  silk,  and  with  the  revela 
tion  of  an  admirable  foot  and  ankle.  But  these 
advances,  so  far  from  encouraging  Mr.  Scudda- 
more,  plunged  him  into  the  depths  of  depression 
and  bash  fulness.  She  had  come  to  him  several 
times  for  a  light,  or  to  apologise  for  the  imagi 
nary  depredations  of  her  poodle;  but  his  mouth 
was  closed  in  the  presence  of  so  superior  a  being, 
his  French  promptly  left  him,  and  he  could  only 
stare  and  stammer  until  she  was  gone.  The  slen- 
derness  of  their  intercourse  did  not  prevent  him 
from  throwing  out  insinuations  of  a  very  glorious 
order  when  he  was  safely  alone  with  a  few  males. 

The  room  on  the  other  side  of  the  American's 
—  for  there  were  three  rooms  on  a  floor  in  the 
hotel  —  was  tenanted  by  an  old  English  physician 
of  rather  doubtful  reputation.  Dr.  Noel,  for  that 
was  his  name,  had  been  forced  to  leave  London, 
where  he  enjoyed  a  large  and  increasing  practice; 
and  it  was  hinted  that  the  police  had  been  the  in 
stigators  of  this  change  of  scene.  At  least  he,  who 
had  made  something  of  a  figure  in  earlier  life,  now 
dwelt  in  the  Latin  Quarter  in  great  simplicity  and 
solitude,  and  devoted  much  of  his  time  to  study. 
Mr.  Scuddamore  had  made  his  acquaintance,  and 
the  pair  would  now  and  then  dine  together  fru 
gally  in  a  restaurant  across  the  street. 

Silas  Q.  Scuddamore  had  many  little  vices  of 
the  more  respectable  order,  and  was  not  restrained 
by  delicacy  from,  indulging  them  in  many  rather 
doubtful  ways.  Chief  among  his  foibles  stood 
curiosity.  He  was  a  born  gossip;  and  life,  and 


48       NEW    ARABIAN    NIGHTS 

especially  those  parts  of  it  in  which  he  had  no 
experience,  interested  him  to  the  degree  of  passion. 
He  was  a  pert,  invincible  questioner,  pushing  his 
inquiries  with  equal  pertinacity  and  indiscretion; 
he  had  been  observed,  when  he  took  a  letter  to 
the  post,  to  weigh  it  in  his  hand,  to  turn  it  over 
and  over,  and  to  study  the  address  with  care; 
and  when  he  found  a  flaw  in  the  partition  be 
tween  his  room  and  Madame  Zephyrine's,  instead 
of  filling  it  up,  he  enlarged  and  improved  the 
opening,  and  made  use  of  it  as  a  spy-hole  on  his 
neighbour's  affairs. 

One  day,  in  the  end  of  March,  his  curiosity 
growing  as  it  was  indulged,  he  enlarged  the  hole 
a  little  further,  so  that  he  might  command  another 
corner  of  the  room.  That  evening,  when  he  went 
as  usual  to  inspect  Madame  Zephyrine's  move 
ments,  he  was  astonished  to  find  the  aperture  ob 
scured  in  an  odd  manner  on  the  other  side,  and 
still  more  abashed  when  the  obstacle  was  suddenly 
withdrawn  and  a  titter  of  laughter  reached  his  ears. 
Some  of  the  plaster  had  evidently  betrayed  the 
secret  of  his  spy-hole,  and  his  neighbour  had  been 
returning  the  compliment  in  kind.  Mr.  Scud- 
damore  was  moved  to  a  very  acute  feeling  of 
annoyance;  he  condemned  Madame  Zephyrine  un 
mercifully;  he  even  blamed  himself;  but  when 
he  found,  next  day,  that  she  had  taken  no  means 
to  balk  him  of  his  favourite  pastime,  he  continued 
to  profit  by  her  carelessness,  and  gratify  his  idle 
turiosity. 

That  next  day  Madame  Zephyrine  received   a 


NEW    ARABIAN    NIGHTS       49 

long  visit  from  a  tall,  loosely-built  man  of  fifty  or 
upwards,  whom  Silas  had  not  hitherto  seen.  His 
tweed  suit  and  coloured  shirt,  no  less  than  his 
shaggy  side-whiskers,  identified  him  as  a  Britisher, 
and  his  dull  grey  eye  affected  Silas  with  a  sense 
of  cold.  He  kept  screwing  his  mouth  from  side 
to  side  and  round  and  round  during  the  whole 
colloquy,  which  was  carried  on  in  whispers.  More 
than  once  it  seemed  to  the  young  New-Englander 
as  if  their  gestures  indicated  his  own  apartment; 
but  the  only  thing  definite  he  could  gather  by  the 
most  scrupulous  attention  was  this  remark  made 
by  the  Englishman  in  a  somewhat  higher  key,  as 
if  in  answer  to  some  reluctance  or  opposition : 

"  I  have  studied  his  taste  to  a  nicety,  and  I  tell 
you  again  and  again  you  are  the  only  woman  of 
the  sort  that  I  can  lay  my  hands  on." 

In  answer  to  this,  Madame  Zephyrine  sighed, 
and  appeared  by  a  gesture  to  resign  herself,  like 
one  yielding  to  unqualified  authority.  ., 

That  afternoon  the  observatory  was  finally 
blinded,  a  wardrobe  having  been  drawn  in  front 
of  it  upon  the  other  side,  and  while  Silas  was 
still  lamenting  over  this  misfortune,  which  he  at 
tributed  to  the  Britisher's  malign  suggestion,  the 
concierge  brought  him  up  a  letter  in  a  female 
handwriting.  It  was  conceived  in  French  of  no 
very  rigorous  orthography,  bore  no  signature,  and 
in  the  most  encouraging  terms  invited  the  young 
American  to  be  present  in  a  certain  part  of  the 
Bullier  Ball  at  eleven  o'clock  that  night.  Curi 
osity  and  timidity  fought  a  long  battle  in  his  heart ; 

VOL.   III.  —  4 


50       NEW    ARABIAN    NIGHTS 

sometimes  he  was  all  virtue,  sometimes  all  fire 
and  daring;  and  the  result  of  it  was  that,  long 
before  ten,  Mr.  Silas  Q.  Scuddamore  presented 
himself  in  unimpeachable  attire  at  the  door  of  the 
Bullier  Ball  Rooms,  and  paid  his  entry  money  with 
a  sense  of  reckless  deviltry  that  was  not  without 
its  charm. 

It  was  Carnival  time,  and  the  Ball  was  very  full 
and  noisy.  The  lights  and  the  crowd  at  first  rather 
abashed  our  young  adventurer,  and  then,  mount 
ing  to  his  brain  with  a  sort  of  intoxication,  put 
him  in  possession  of  more  than  his  own  share  of 
manhood.  He  felt  ready  to  face  the  devil,  and 
strutted  in  the  ballroom  with  the  swagger  of  a 
cavalier.  While  he  was  thus  parading,  he  be 
came  aware  of  Madame  Zephyrine  and  her  Brit 
isher  in  conference  behind  a  pillar.  The  cat-like 
spirit  of  eavesdropping  overcame  him  at  once, 
He  stole  nearer  and  nearer  on  the  couple  from 
behind,  until  he  was  within  earshot. 

"That  is  the  man,"  the  Britisher  was  saying; 
"  there  —  with  the  long  blond  hair  —  speaking  to 
a  girl  in  green." 

Silas  identified  a  very  handsome  young  fellow 
of  small  stature,  who  was  plainly  the  object  of 
this  designation. 

"  It  is  well,"  said  Madame  Zephyrine.  "  I  shall 
do  my  utmost.  But,  remember,  the  best  of  us  may 
fail  in  such  a  matter." 

^  Tut !  "  returned  her  companion ;  "  I  answer  for 
the  result.  Have  I  not  chosen  you  from  thirty? 
Iro;  but  be  wary  of  the  Prince.  I  cannot  think 


NEW    ARABIAN    NIGHTS       51 

what  cursed  accident  has  brought  him  here  to 
night.  As  if  there  were  not  a  dozen  balls  in  Paris 
better  worth  his  notice  than  this  riot  of  students 
and  counter-jumpers !  See  him  where  he  sits,  more 
like  a  reigning  Emperor  at  home  than  a  Prince 
upon  his  holidays !  " 

Silas  was  again  lucky.  He  observed  a  person 
of  rather  a  full  build,  strikingly  handsome,  and 
of  a  very  stately  and  courteous  demeanour,  seated 
at  table  with  another  handsome  young  man,  sev 
eral  years  his  junior,  who  addressed  him  with  con 
spicuous  deference.  The  name  of  Prince  struck 
gratefully  on  Silas's  Republican  hearing,  and  the 
aspect  of  the  person  to  whom  that  name  was  ap 
plied  exercised  its  usual  charm  upon  his  mind.  He 
left  Madame  Zephyrine  and  her  Englishman  to 
take  care  of  each  other,  and  threading  his  way 
through  the  assembly,  approached  the  table  which 
the  Prince  and  his  confidant  had  honoured  with 
their  choice. 

"  I  tell  you,  Geraldine,"  the  former  was  saying, 
"the  action  is  madness.  Yourself  (I  am  glad  to 
remember  it)  chose  your  brother  for  this  perilous 
service,  and  you  are  bound  in  duty  to  have  a  guard 
upon  his  conduct.  He  has  consented  to  delay  so 
many  days  in  Paris;  that  was  already  an  impru 
dence,  considering  the  character  of  the  man  he  has 
to  deal  with ;  but  now,  when  he  is  within  eight  and 
forty  hours  of  his  departure,  when  he  is  within 
two  or  three  days  of  the  decisive  trial,  I  ask  you, 
is  this  a  place  for  him  to  spend  his  time?  He 
should  be  in  a  gallery  at  practice;  he  should  be 


52       NEW    ARABIAN    NIGHTS 

sleeping  long  hours  and  taking  moderate  exercise 
on  foot ;  he  should  be  on  a  rigorous  diet,  without 
white  wines  or  brandy.  Does  the  dog  imagine 
we  are  all  playing  comedy?  The  thing  is  deadly 
earnest,  Geraldine." 

"  I  know  the  lad  too  well  to  interfere,"  replied 
Colonel  Geraldine,  "  and  well  enough  not  to  be 
alarmed.  He  is  more  cautious  than  you  fancy, 
and  of  an  indomitable  spirit.  If  it  had  been  a 
woman  I  should  not  say  so  much,  but  I  trust  the 
President  to  him  and  the  two  valets  without  an 
instant's  apprehension." 

"  I  am  gratified  to  hear  you  say  so,"  replied  the 
Prince ;  "  but  my  mind  is  not  at  rest.  These  ser 
vants  are  well-trained  spies,  and  already  has  not 
this  miscreant  succeeded  three  times  in  eluding 
their  observation  and  spending  several  nours  on 
end  in  private,  and  most  likely  dangerous,  affairs? 
An  amateur  might  have  lost  him  by  accident,  but  if 
Rudolph  and  Jerome  were  thrown  off  the  scent,  it 
must  have  been  done  on  purpose,  and  by  a  man  who 
had  a  cogent  reason  and  exceptional  resources." 

"  I  believe  the  question  is  now  one  between  my 
brother  and  myself,"  replied  Geraldine,  with  a 
shade  of  offence  in  his  tone. 

"  I  permit  it  to  be  so,  Colonel  Geraldine,"  re 
turned  Prince  Florizel.  "  Perhaps,  for  that  very 
reason,  you  should  be  all  the  more  ready  to  accept 
my  counsels.  But  enough.  That  girl  in  yellow 
dances  well." 

And  the  talk  veered  into  the  ordinary  topics  of 
a  Paris  ballroom  in  the  Carnival. 


NEW    ARABIAN    NIGHTS       53 

Silas  remembered  where  he  was,  and  that  the 
hour  was  already  near  at  hand  when  he  ought  to 
be  upon  the  scene  of  his  assignation.  The  more 
he  reflected  the  less  he  liked  the  prospect,  and  as 
at  that  moment  an  eddy  in  the  crowd  began  to 
draw  him  in  the  direction  of  the  door,  he  suffered 
it  to  carry  him  away  without  resistance.  The  eddy 
stranded  him  in  a  corner  under  the  gallery,  where 
his  ear  was  immediately  struck  with  the  voice  of 
Madame  Zephyrine.  She  was  speaking  in  French 
with  the  young  man  of  the  blond  locks  who  had 
been  pointed  out  by  the  strange  Britisher  not  half 
an  hour  before. 

"  I  have  a  character  at  stake,"  she  said,  "  or  I 
would  put  no  other  condition  than  my  heart  recom 
mends.  But  you  have  only  to  say  so  much  to  the 
porter,  and  he  will  let  you  go  by  without  a  word." 

"But  why  this  talk  of  debt?"  objected  her 
companion. 

"  Heavens ! "  said  she,  "  do  you  think  I  do  not 
understand  my  own  hotel?" 

And  she  went  by,  clinging  affectionately  to  her 
companion's  arm. 

This  put  Silas  in  mind  of  his  billet. 

"  Ten  minutes  hence,"  thought  he,  "  and  I  may 
be  walking  with  as  beautiful  a  woman  as  that,  and 
even  better  dressed  —  perhaps  a  real  lady,  possibly 
a  woman  of  title." 

And  then  he  remembered  the  spelling,  and  was 
a  little  downcast. 

"  But  it  may  have  been  written  by  her  maid," 
he  imagined. 


54       NEW    ARABIAN    NIGHTS 

The  clock  was  only  a  few  minutes  from  the 
hour,  and  this  immediate  proximity  set  his  heart 
beating  at  a  curious  and  rather  disagreeable  speed. 
He  reflected  with  relief  that  he  was  in  no  way 
bound  to  put  in  an  appearance.  Virtue  and  cow 
ardice  were  together,  and  he  made  once  more  for 
the  door,  but  this  time  of  his  own  accord,  and 
battling  against  the  stream  of  people  which  was 
now  moving  in  a  contrary  direction.  Perhaps  this 
prolonged  resistance  wearied  him,  or  perhaps  he 
was  in  that  frame  of  mind  when  merely  to  con 
tinue  in  the  same  determination  for  a  certain  num 
ber  of  minutes  produces  a  reaction  and  a  different 
purpose.  Certainly,  at  least,  he  wheeled  about  for 
a  third  time,  and  did  not  stop  until  he  had  found 
a  place  of  concealment  within  a  few  yards  of  the 
appointed  place. 

Here  he  went  through  an  agony  of  spirit,  in 
which  he  several  times  prayed  to  God  for  help, 
for  Silas  had  been  devoutly  educated.  He  had 
now  not  the  least  inclination  for  the  meeting; 
nothing  kept  him  from  flight  but  a  silly  fear  lest 
he  should  be  thought  unmanly;  but  this  was  so 
powerful  that  it  kept  head  against  all  other  mo 
tives;  and  although  it  could  not  decide  him  to 
advance,  prevented  him  from  definitely  running 
away.  At  last  the  clock  indicated  ten  minutes  past 
the  hour.  Young  Scuddamore's  spirit  began  to 
rise;  he  peered  round  the  corner  and  saw  no  one 
at  the  place  of  meeting;  doubtless  his  unknown 
correspondent  had  wearied  and  gone  away.  He 
became  as  bold  as  he  had  formerlv  been  timid.  It 


NEW    ARABIAN    NIGHTS       55 

seemed  to  him  that  if  he  came  at  all  to  the  ap 
pointment,  however  late,  he  was  clear  from  the 
charge  of  cowardice.  Nay,  now  he  began  to  sus 
pect  a  hoax,  and  actually  complimented  himself 
on  his  shrewdness  in  having  suspected  and  out 
manoeuvred  his  mystifiers.  So  very  idle  a  thing 
is  a  boy's  mind! 

Armed  with  these  reflections,  he  advanced  boldly 
from  his  corner;  but  he  had  not  taken  above  a 
couple  of  steps  before  a  hand  was  laid  upon  his 
arm.  He  turned  and  beheld  a  lady  cast  in  a  very 
large  mould  and  with  somewhat  stately  features, 
but  bearing  no  mark  of  severity  in  her  looks. 

"  I  see  that  you  are  a  very  self-confident  lady- 
killer,"  said  she;  "  for  you  make  yourself  expected. 
But  I  was  determined  to  meet  you.  When  a  woman 
has  once  so  far  forgotten  herself  as  to  make  the 
first  advance,  she  has  long  ago  left  behind  her  all 
considerations  of  petty  pride." 

Silas  was  overwhelmed  by  the  size  and  attrac 
tions  of  his  correspondent  and  the  suddenness  with 
which  she  had  fallen  upon  him.  But  she  soon 
set  him  at  his  ease.  She  was  very  towardly  and 
lenient  in  her  behaviour;  she  led  him  on  to  make 
pleasantries,  and  then  applauded  him  to  the  echo; 
and  in  a  very  short  time,  between  blandishments 
and  a  liberal  imbibition  of  warm  brandy,  she  had 
not  only  induced  him  to  fancy  himself  in  love,  but 
to  declare  his  passion  with  the  greatest  vehemence. 

"  Alas !  "  she  said ;  "  I  do  not  know  whether  I 
ought  not  to  deplore  this  moment,  great  as  is  the 
pleasure  you  give  me  by  your  words.  Hitherto 


56       NEW    ARABIAN    NIGHTS 

I  was  alone  to  suffer;  now,  poor  boy,  there  will 
be  two.  I  am  not  my  own  mistress.  I  dare  not 
ask  you  to  visit  me  at  my  own  house,  for  I  am 
watched  by  jealous  eyes.  Let  me  see,"  she  added; 
"  I  am  older  than  you,  although  so  much  weaker ; 
and  while  I  trust  in  your  courage  and  determina 
tion,  I  must  employ  my  own  knowledge  of  the 
world  for  our  mutual  benefit.  Where  do  you 
live?" 

He  told  her  that  he  lodged  in  a  furnished  hotel, 
and  named  the  street  and  number. 

She  seemed  to  reflect  for  some  minutes,  with  an 
effort  of  mind. 

"  I  see,"  she  said  at  last.  "  You  will  be  faith 
ful  and  obedient,  will  you  not?" 

Silas  assured  her  eagerly  of  his  fidelity. 

"  To-morrow  night,  then,"  she  continued,  with 
an  encouraging  smile,  "  you  must  remain  at  home 
all  the  evening;  and  if  any  friends  should  visit 
you,  dismiss  them  at  once  on  any  pretext  that 
most  readily  presents  itself.  Your  door  is  prob 
ably  shut  by  ten?"  she  asked. 

"  By  eleven,"  answered  Silas. 

"  At  a  quarter-past  eleven,"  pursued  the  lady, 
"  leave  the  house.  Merely  cry  for  the  door  to  be 
opened,  and  be  sure  you  fall  into  no  talk  with  the 
porter,  as  that  might  ruin  everything.  Go  straight 
to  the  corner  where  the  Luxembourg  Gardens  join 
the  Boulevard ;  there  you  will  find  me  waiting  you. 
I  trust  you  to  follow  my  advice  from  point  to  point : 
and  remember,  if  you  fail  me  in  only  one  partic 
ular,  you  will  bring  the  sharpest  trouble  on  a 


NEW    ARABIAN    NIGHTS       57 

woman    whose   only    fault    is    to    have    seen    and 
loved  you." 

"  I  cannot  see  the  use  of  all  these  instructions," 
said  Silas. 

"  I  believe  you  are  already  beginning  to  treat 
me  as  a  master,"  she  cried,  tapping  him  with  her 
fan  upon  the  arm.  "  Patience,  patience !  that 
should  come  in  time.  A  woman  loves  to  be  obeyed 
at  first,  although  afterwards  she  finds  her  pleasure 
in  obeying.  Do  as  I  ask  you,  for  Heaven's  sake, 
or  I  will  answer  for  nothing.  Indeed,  now  I  think 
of  it,"  she  added,  with  the  manner  of  one  who  had 
just  seen  further  into  a  difficulty,  "  I  find  a  better 
plan  of  keeping  importunate  visitors  away.  Tell 
the  porter  to  admit  no  one  for  you,  except  a  per 
son  who  may  come  that  night  to  claim  a  debt ;  and 
speak  with  some  feeling,  as  though  you  feared  the 
interview,  so  that  he  may  take  your  words  in 
earnest." 

"  I  think  you  may  trust  me  to  protect  myself 
against  intruders,"  he  said,  not  without  a  little 
pique. 

"  That  is  how  I  should  prefer  the  thing  ar 
ranged,"  she  answered  coldly.  "  I  know  you  men; 
you  think  nothing  of  a  woman's  reputation." 

Silas  blushed  and  somewhat  hung  his  head ;  for 
the  scheme  he  had  in  view  had  involved  a  little 
vainglorying  before  his  acquaintances. 

"  Above  all,"  she  added,  "  do  not  speak  to  the 
porter  as  you  come  out." 

"And  why?"  said  he.  "Of  all  your  instruc 
tions,  that  seems  to  me  the  least  important." 


58       NEW    ARABIAN    NIGHTS 

'  You  at  first  doubted  the  wisdom  of  some  of 
the  others,  which  you  now  see  to  be  very  neces 
sary,"  she  replied.  "  Believe  me,  this  also  has  its 
uses;  in  time  you  will  see  them;  and  what  am  I 
to  think  of  your  affection,  if  you  refuse  me  such 
trifles  at  our  first  interview  ?  " 

Silas  confounded  himself  in  explanations  and 
apologies;  in  the  middle  of  these  she  looked  up 
at  the  clock  and  clapped  her  hands  together  with 
a  suppressed  scream. 

"Heavens!"  she  cried,  "is  it  so  late?  I  have 
not  an  instant  to  lose.  Alas,  we  poor  women,  what 
slaves  we  are!  What  have  I  not  risked  for  you 
already?" 

And  after  repeating  her  directions,  which  she 
artfully  combined  with  caresses  and  the  most  aban 
doned  looks,  she  bade  him  farewell  and  disappeared 
among  the  crowd. 

The  whole  of  the  next  day  Silas  was  filled  with 
a  sense  of  great  importance;  he  was  now  sure 
she  was  a  countess;  and  when  evening  came  he 
minutely  obeyed  her  orders  and  was  at  the  corner 
of  the  Luxembourg  Gardens  by  the  hour  ap 
pointed.  No  one  was  there.  He  waited  nearly 
half  an  hour,  looking  in  the  face  of  every  one  who 
passed  or  loitered  near  the  spot;  he  even  visited 
the  neighbouring  corners  of  the  Boulevard  and 
made  a  complete  circuit  of  the  garden  railings; 
but  there,  was  no  beautiful  countess  to  throw  her 
self  into  his  arms.  At  last,  and  most  reluctantly, 
he  began  to  retrace  his  steps  towards  his  hotel. 
On  the  way  he  remembered  the  words  he  had 


NEW    ARABIAN    NIGHTS       59 

heard  pass  between  Madame  Zephyr ine  and  the 
blond  young  man,  and  they  gave  him  an  indefinite 
uneasiness. 

"  It  appears,"  he  reflected,  "  that  every  one  has 
to  tell  lies  to  our  porter." 

He  rang  the  bell,  the  door  opened  before  him, 
and  the  porter  in  his  bed-clothes  came  to  offer  him 
a  light. 

"  Has  he  gone?  "  inquired  the  porter. 

"He?  Whom  do  you  mean?"  asked  Silas, 
somewhat  sharply,  for  he  was  irritated  by  his 
disappointment. 

"  I  did  not  notice  him  go  out,"  continued  the 
porter,  "  but  I  trust  you  paid  him.  We  do  not 
care,  in  this  house,  to  have  lodgers  who  cannot 
meet  their  liabilities." 

"  What  the  devil  do  you  mean  ?  "  demanded 
Silas,  rudely.  "  I  cannot  understand  a  word  of 
this  farrago." 

"  The  short  blond  young  man  who  came  for  his 
debt,"  returned  the  other.  "  Him  it  is  I  mean. 
Who  else  should  it  be,  when  I  had  your  orders  to 
admit  no  one  else  ?  " 

"  Why,  good  God,  of  course  he  never  came," 
retorted  Silas. 

"  I  believe  what  I  believe,"  retorted  the  porter, 
putting  his  tongue  into  his  cheek  with  a  most 
roguish  air. 

"  You  are  an  insolent  scoundrel,"  cried  Silas,  and, 
feeling  that  he  had  made  a  ridiculous  exhibition 
of  asperity,  and  at  the  same  time  bewildered  by  a 
dozen  alarms,  he  turned  and  began  to  run  up-stairs. 


60       NEW    ARABIAN    NIGHTS 

"  Do  you  not  want  a  light  then  ?  "  cried  the 
porter. 

But  Silas  only  hurried  the  faster,  and  did  not 
pause  until  he  had  reached  the  seventh  landing  and 
stood  in  front  of  his  own  door.  There  he  waited 
a  moment  to  recover  his  breath,  assailed  by  the 
worst  forebodings  and  almost  dreading  to  enter 
the  room. 

When  at  last  he  did  so  he  was  relieved  to  find 
it  dark,  and  to  all  appearance  untenanted.  He 
drew  a  long  breath.  Here  he  was,  home  again  in 
safety,  and  this  should  be  his  last  folly  as  certainly 
as  it  had  been  his  first.  The  matches  stood  on  a 
little  table  by  the  bed,  and  he  began  to  grope  his 
way  in  that  direction.  As  he  moved,  his  appre 
hensions  grew  upon  him  once  more,  and  he  was 
pleased,  when  his  foot  encountered  an  obstacle,  to 
find  it  nothing  more  alarming  than  a  chair.  At 
last  he  touched  curtains.  From  the  position  of  the 
window,  which  was  faintly  visible,  he  knew  he 
must  be  at  the  foot  of  the  bed,  and  had  only  to 
feel  his  way  along  it  in  order  to  reach  the  table 
in  question. 

He  lowered  his  hand,  but  what  he  touched  was 
not  simply  a  counterpane  —  it  wras  a  counterpane 
with  something  underneath  it  like  the  outline  of 
a  human  leg.  Silas  withdrew  his  arm  and  stood  a 
moment  petrified. 

"  What,  what,"  he  thought,  "  can  this  betoken?  " 

He  listened  intently,  but  there  was  no  sound  of 
breathing.  Once  more,  with  a  great  effort,  he 
reached  out  the  end  of  his  finger  to  the  spot  he 


NEW    ARABIAN    NIGHTS       61 

had  already  touched ;  but  this  time  he  leaped  back 
half  a  yard,  and  stood  shivering  and  fixed  with 
terror.  There  was  something  in  his  bed.  What  it 
was  he  knew  not,  but  there  was  something  there. 

It  was  some  seconds  before  he  could  move. 
Then,  guided  by  an  instinct,  he  fell  straight  upon 
the  matches,  and  keeping  his  back  toward  the  bed, 
lighted  a  candle.  As  soon  as  the  flame  had  kindled, 
he  turned  slowly  round  and  looked  for  what  he 
feared  to  see.  Sure  enough,  there  was  the  worst 
of  his  imaginations  realised.  The  coverlid  was 
drawn  carefully  up  over  the  pillow,  but  it  moulded 
the  outline  of  a  human  body  lying  motionless ;  and 
when  he  dashed  forward  and  flung  aside  the  sheets, 
he  beheld  the  blond  young  man  whom  he  had  seen 
in  the  Bullier  Ball  the  night  before,  his  eyes  open 
and  without  speculation,  his  face  swollen  and  black 
ened,  and  a  thin  stream  of  blood  trickling  from  his 
nostrils. 

Silas  uttered  a  long  tremulous  wail,  dropped  the 
candle,  and  fell  on  his  knees  beside  the  bed. 

Silas  was  awakened  from  the  stupor  into  which 
his  terrible  discovery  had  plunged  him,  by  a  pro-  ' 
longed  but  discreet  tapping  at  the  door.  It  took 
him  some  seconds  to  remember  his  position;  and 
when  he  hastened  to  prevent  any  one  from  enter 
ing  it  was  already  too  late.  Dr.  Noel,  in  a  tall 
nightcap,  carrying  a  lamp  which  lighted  up  his 
long  white  countenance,  sidling  in  his  gait,  and 
peering  and  cocking  his  head  like  some  sort  of 
bird,  pushed  the  door  slowly  open,  and  advanced 
into  the  middle  of  the  room. 


62       NEW    ARABIAN    NIGHTS 

"  I  thought  I  heard  a  cry,"  began  the  Doctor, 
"  and  fearing  you  might  be  unwell,  I  did  not  hesi 
tate  to  offer  this  intrusion." 

Silas,  with  a  flushed  face  and  a  fearful  beating 
heart,  kept  between  the  Doctor  and  the  bed;  but 
he  found  no  voice  to  answer. 

1  You  are  in  the  dark,"  pursued  the  Doctor ; 
"  and  yet  you  have  not  even  begun  to  prepare  for 
rest.  You  will  not  easily  persuade  me  against  my 
own  eyesight;  and  your  face  declares  most  elo 
quently  that  you  require  either  a  friend  or  a  physi 
cian  —  which  is  it  to  be  ?  Let  me  feel  your  pulse, 
for  that  is  often  a  just  reporter  of  the  heart." 

He  advanced  to  Silas,  who  still  retreated  before 
him  backwards,  and  sought  to  take  him  by  the 
wrist;  but  the  strain  on  the  young  American's 
nerves  had  become  too  great  for  endurance.  He 
avoided  the  Doctor  with  a  febrile  movement,  and, 
throwing  himself  upon  the  floor,  burst  into  a  flood 
of  weeping. 

As  soon  as  Dr.  Noel  perceived  the  dead  man  in 
the  bed  his  face  darkened;  and  hurrying  back  to 
the  door  which  he  had  left  ajar,  he  hastily  closed 
and  double-locked  it. 

"  Up ! "  he  cried,  addressing  Silas  in  strident 
tones.  "  This  is  no  time  for  weeping.  What  have 
you  done?  How  came  this  body  in  your  room? 
Speak  freely  to  one  who  may  be  helpful.  Do  you 
imagine  I  would  ruin  you?  Do  you  think  this 
piece  of  dead  flesh  on  your  pillow  can  alter  in  any 
degree  the  sympathy  with  which  you  have  inspired 
me  ?  Credulous  youth,  the  horror  with  which  blind 


NEW    ARABIAN    NIGHTS       63 

and  unjust  law  regards  an  action  never  attaches 
to  the  doer  in  the  eyes  of  those  who  love  him; 
and  if  I  saw  the  friend  of  my  heart  return  to  me 
out  of  seas  of  blood  he  would  be  in  no  way  changed 
in  my  affection.  Raise  yourself,"  he  said ;  "  good 
and  ill  are  a  chimera;  there  is  naught  in  life  ex 
cept  destiny,  and  however  you  may  be  circum 
stanced  there  is  one  at  your  side  who  will  help 
you  to  the  last." 

Thus  encouraged,  Silas  gathered  himself  to 
gether,  and  in  a  broken  voice,  and  helped  out  by 
the  Doctor's  interrogations,  contrived  at  last  to 
put  him  in  possession  of  the  facts.  But  the  con 
versation  between  the  Prince  and  Geraldine  he 
altogether  omitted,  as  he  had  understood  little  of 
its  purport,  and  had  no  idea  that  it  was  in  any 
way  related  to  his  own  misadventure. 

"Alas!"  cried  Dr.  Noel,  "I  am  much  abused, 
or  you  have  fallen  innocently  into  the  most  danger 
ous  hands  in  Europe.  Poor  boy,  what  a  pit  has 
been  dug  for  your  simplicity!  into  what  a  deadly 
peril  have  your  unwary  feet  been  conducted !  This 
man,"  he  said,  "  this  Englishman,  whom  you  twice 
saw,  and  whom  I  suspect  to  be  the  soul  of  the  con 
trivance,  can  you  describe  him  ?  Was  he  young  or 
old?  tall  or  short?" 

But  Silas,  who,  for  all  his  curiosity,  had  not  a 
seeing  eye  in  his  head,  was  able  to  supply  nothing 
but  meagre  generalities,  which  it  was  impossible 
to  recognise. 

"  I  would  have  it  a  piece  of  education  in  all 
schools !  "  cried  the  Doctor  angrily.  "  Where  is 


64       NEW    ARABIAN    NIGHTS 

the  use  of  eyesight  and  articulate  speech  if  a  man 
cannot  observe  and  recollect  the  features  of  his 
enemy?  I,  who  know  all  the  gangs  of  Europe, 
might  have  identified  him,  and  gained  new  weapons 
for  your  defence.  Cultivate  this  art  in  future,  my 
poor  boy;  you  may  find  it  of  momentous  service." 

"The  future!"  repeated  Silas.  "What  future 
is  there  left  for  me  except  the  gallows  ?  " 

"  Youth  is  but  a  cowardly  season,"  returned  the 
Doctor ;  "  and  a  man's  own  troubles  look  blacker 
than  they  are.  I  am  old,  and  yet  I  never  despair." 

"Can  I  tell  such  a  story  to  the  police?"  de 
manded  Silas. 

"  Assuredly  not,"  replied  the  Doctor.  "  From 
what  I  see  already  of  the  machination  in  which 
you  have  been  involved,  your  case  is  desperate 
upon  that  side;  and  for  the  narrow  eye  of  the 
authorities  you  are  infallibly  the  guilty  person. 
And  remember  that  we  only  know  a  portion  of 
the  plot;  and  the  same  infamous  contrivers  have 
doubtless  arranged  many  other  circumstances 
which  would  be  elicited  by  a  police  inquiry,  and 
help  to  fix  the  guilt  more  certainly  upon  your 
innocence." 

"  I  am  then  lost,  indeed !  "  cried  Silas. 

"  I  have  not  said  so,"  answered  Dr.  Noel,  "  for 
I  am  a  cautious  man." 

"  But  look  at  this !  "  objected  Silas,  pointing  to 
the  body.  "  Here  is  this  object  in  my  bed :  not 
to  be  explained,  not  to  be  disposed  of,  not  to  be 
regarded  without  horror." 

"Horror?"  replied  the  Doctor.     "No.     When 


NEW   ARABIAN    NIGHTS      65 

this  sort  of  clock  has  run  down,  it  is  no  more  to 
me  than  an  ingenious  piece  of  mechanism,  to  be 
investigated  with  the  bistery.  When  blood  is  once 
cold  and  stagnant,  it  is  no  longer  human  blood; 
when  flesh  is  once  dead,  it  is  no  longer  that  flesh 
which  we  desire  in  our  lovers  and  respect  in  our 
friends.  The  grace,  the  attraction,  the  terror,  have 
all  gone  from  it  with  the  animating  spirit.  Ac 
custom  yourself  to  look  upon  it  with  composure, 
for  if  my  scheme  is  practicable  you  will  have  to 
live  in  constant  proximity  to  that  which  now  so 
greatly  horrifies  you." 

"Your  scheme?"  cried  Silas.  "What  is  that? 
Tell  me  speedily,  Doctor;  for  I  have  scarcely 
courage  enough  to  continue  to  exist." 

Without  replying,  Dr.  Noel  turned  towards  the 
bed,  and  proceeded  to  examine  the  corpse. 

"  Quite  dead,"  he  murmured.  "  Yes,  as  I  had 
supposed,  the  pockets  empty.  Yes,  and  the  name 
cut  off  the  shirt.  Their  work  has.  been  done 
thoroughly  and  well.  Fortunately  he  is  of  small 
stature." 

Silas  followed  these  words  with  an  extreme 
anxiety.  At  last  the  Doctor,  his  autopsy  com 
pleted,  took  a  chair  and  addressed  the  young 
American  with  a  smile. 

"  Since  I  came  into  your  room,"  said  he,  "  al 
though  my  ears  and  my  tongue  have  been  so 
busy,  I  have  not  suffered  my  eyes  to  remain  idle, 
I  noted  a  little  while  ago  that  you  have  there,  in 
the  corner,  one  of  those  monstrous  constructions 
which  your  fellow-countrymen  carry  with  them 
VOL.  in.  — 5 


66       NEW    ARABIAN    NIGHTS 

into  all  quarters  of  the  globe  —  in  a  word,  a 
Saratoga  trunk.  Until  this  moment  I  have  never 
been  able  to  conceive  the  utility  of  these  erections; 
but  then  I  began  to  have  a  glimmer.  Whether  it 
was  for  convenience  in  the  slave  trade,  or  to  ob 
viate  the  results  of  too  ready  an  employment  of 
the  bowie-knife,  I  cannot  bring  myself  to  decide. 
But  one  thing  I  see  plainly  —  the  object  of  such 
a  box  is  to  contain  a  human  body." 

"  Surely,"  cried  Silas,  "  surely  this  is  not  a  time 
for  jesting." 

"  Although  I  may  express  myself  with  some  de 
gree  of  pleasantry,"  replied  the  Doctor,  "  the  pur 
port  of  my  words  is  entirely  serious.  And  the  first 
thing  we  have  to  do,  my  young  friend,  is  to  empty 
your  coffer  of  all  it  contains." 

Silas,  obeying  the  authority  of  Dr.  Noel,  put 
himself  at  his  disposition.  The  Saratoga  trunk  was 
soon  gutted  of  its  contents,  which  made  a  consider 
able  litter  on  the  floor ;  and  then  —  Silas  taking 
the  heels  and  the  Doctor  supporting  the  shoulders 
—  the  body  of  the  murdered  man  was  carried  from 
the  bed,  and,  after  some  difficulty,  doubled  up  and 
inserted  whole  into  the  empty  box.  With  an  effort 
on  the  part  of  both,  the  lid  was  forced  down  upon 
this  unusual  baggage,  and  the  trunk  was  locked 
and  corded  by  the  Doctor's  own  hand,  while  Silas 
disposed  of  what  had  been  taken  out  between  the 
closet  and  a  chest  of  drawers. 

"Now,"  said  the  Doctor,  "the  first  step  has 
been  taken  on  the  way  to  your  deliverance.  To 
morrow  or  rather  to-day,  it  must  be  your  task  to 


NEW    ARABIAN    NIGHTS       67 

allay  the  suspicions  of  your  porter,  paying  him  all 
that  you  owe;  while  you  may  trust  me  to  make 
the  arrangements  necessary  to  a  safe  conclusion. 
Meantime,  follow  me  to  my  room,  where  I  shall 
give  you  a  safe  and  powerful  opiate;  for,  what 
ever  you  do,  you  must  have  rest." 

The  next  day  was  the  longest  in  Silas's  memory ; 
it  seemed  as  if  it  would  never  be  done.  He  denied 
himself  to  his  friends,  and  sat  in  a  corner  with  his 
eyes  fixed  upon  the  Saratoga  trunk  in  dismal  con 
templation.  His  own  former  indiscretions  were 
now  returned  upon  him  in  kind;  for  the  observa 
tory  had  been  once  more  opened,  and  he  was  con 
scious  of  an  almost  continual  study  from  Madame 
Zephyrine's  apartment.  So  distressing  did  this  be 
come,  that  he  was  at  last  obliged  to  block  up  the 
spy-hole  from  his  own  side;  and  when  he  was 
thus  secured  from  observation  he  spent  a  consid 
erable  portion  of  his  time  in  contrite  tears  and 
prayer. 

Late  in  the  evening  Dr.  Noel  entered  the  room 
carrying  in  his  hand  a  pair  of  sealed  envelopes 
without  address,  one  somewhat  bulky,  and  the 
other  so  slim  as  to  seem  without  enclosure. 

"  Silas/'  he  said,  seating  himself  at  the  table, 
"  the  time  has  now  come  for  me  to  explain  my 
plan  for  your  salvation.  To-morrow  morning,  at 
an  early  hour,  Prince  Florizel  of  Bohemia  returns 
to  London,  after  having  diverted  himself  for  a  few 
days  with  the  Parisian  Carnival.  It  was  my  for 
tune,  a  good  while  ago,  to  do  Colonel  Geraldine, 
his  Master  of  the  Horse,  one  of  those  services  so 


68       NEW    ARABIAN    NIGHTS 

common  in  my  profession,  which  are  never  for 
gotten  upon  either  side.  I  have  no  need  to  ex 
plain  to  you  the  nature  of  the  obligation  under 
which  he  was  laid;  suffice  it  to  say  that  I  knew 
him  ready  to  serve  me  in  any  practicable  manner. 
Now,  it  was  necessary  for  you  to  gain  London 
with  your  trunk  unopened.  To  this  the  Custom 
House  seemed  to  oppose  a  fatal  difficulty;  but  I 
bethought  me  that  the  baggage  of  so  considerable 
a  person  as  the  Prince  is,  as  a  matter  of  courtesy, 
passed  without  examination  by  the  officers  of  Cus 
tom.  I  applied  to  Colonel  Geraldine,  and  succeeded 
in  obtaining  a  favourable  answer.  To-morrow,  if 
you  go  before  six  to  the  hotel  where  the  Prince 
lodges,  your  baggage  will  be  passed  over  as  a  part 
of  his,  and  you  yourself  will  make  the  journey  as 
a  member  of  his  suite." 

"  It  seems  to  me,  as  you  speak,  that  I  have  al 
ready  seen  both  the  Prince  and  Colonel  Geraldine ; 
I  even  overheard  some  of  their  conversation  the 
other  evening  at  the  Bullier  Ball." 

"  It  is  probable  enough ;  for  the  Prince  loves 
to  mix  with  all  societies,"  replied  the  Doctor. 
"  Once  arrived  in  London,"  he  pursued,  "  your 
task  is  nearly  ended.  In  this  more  bulky  envelope 
I  have  given  you  a  letter  which  I  dare  not  ad 
dress;  but  in  the  other  you  will  find  the  designa 
tion  of  the  house  to  which  you  must  carry  it  along 
with  your  box,  which  will  there  be  taken  from 
you  and  not  trouble  you  any  more." 

"  Alas !  "  said  Silas,  "  I  have  every  wish  to  be 
lieve  you;  but  how  is  it  possible?  You  open  up 


NEW   ARABIAN    NIGHTS       69 

to  me  a  bright  prospect,  but,  I  ask  you,  is  my 
mind  capable  of  receiving  so  unlikely  a  solution? 
Be  more  generous,  and  let  me  farther  understand 
your  meaning." 

The  Doctor  seemed  painfully  impressed. 

"  Boy,"  he  answered,  "  you  do  not  know  how 
hard  a  thing  you  ask  of  me.  But  be  it  so.  I  am 
now  inured  to  humiliation ;  and  it  would  be  strange 
if  I  refused  you  this,  after  having  granted  you  so 
much.  Know,  then,  that  although  I  now  make  so 
quiet  an  appearance  —  frugal,  solitary,  addicted 
to  study  —  when  I  was  younger,  my  name  was 
once  a  rallying-cry  among  the  most  astute  and 
dangerous  spirits  of  London ;  and  while  I  was 
outwardly  an  object  for  respect  and  consideration, 
my  true  power  resided  in  the  most  secret,  terrible, 
and  criminal  relations.  It  is  to  one  of  the  persons 
who  then  obeyed  me  that  I  now  address  myself  to 
deliver  you  from  your  burden.  They  were  men 
of  many  different  nations  and  dexterities,  all  bound 
together  by  a  formidable  oath,  and  working  to  the 
same  purposes;  the  trade  of  the  association  was 
in  murder;  and  I  who  speak  to  you,  innocent  as 
I  appear,  was  the  chieftain  of  this  redoubtable 
crew." 

"What?"  cried  Silas.  "A  murderer?  And 
one  with  whom  murder  was  a  trade?  Can  I  take 
your  hand?  Ought  I  to  so  much  as  accept  your 
services?  Dark  and  criminal  old  man,  would  you 
make  an  accomplice  of  my  youth  and  my  distress?  " 

The  Doctor  bitterly  laughed. 

"  You  are  difficult  to  please,  Mr.  Scuddamore," 


70       NEW    ARABIAN    NIGHTS 

said  he;  "  but  I  now  offer  you  your  choice  of  com 
pany  between  the  murdered  man  and  the  murderer. 
If  your  conscience  is  too  nice  to  accept  my  aid,  say 
so,  and  I  will  immediately  leave  you.  Thencefor 
ward  you  can  deal  with  your  trunk  and  its  belong 
ings  as  best  suits  your  upright  conscience." 

"  I  own  myself  wrong,"  replied  Silas.  "  I 
should  have  remembered  how  generously  you 
offered  to  shield  me,  even  before  I  had  convinced 
you  of  my  innocence,  and  I  continue  to  listen  to 
your  counsels  with  gratitude." 

"That  is  well,"  returned  the  Doctor;  "  and  I 
perceive  you  are  beginning  to  learn  some  of  the 
lessons  of  experience." 

"  At  the  same  time,"  resumed  the  New-Eng- 
lander,  "  as  you  confess  yourself  accustomed  to 
this  tragical  business,  and  the  people  to  whom  you 
recommend  me  are  your  own  former  associates 
and  friends,  could  you  not  yourself  undertake  the 
transport  of  the  box,  and  rid  me  at  once  of  its 
detested  presence?" 

"  Upon  my  word,"  replied  the  Doctor,  "  I  ad 
mire  you  cordially.  If  you  do  not  think  I  have 
already  meddled  sufficiently  in  your  concerns,  be 
lieve  me,  from  my  heart  I  think  the  contrary. 
Take  or  leave  my  services  as  I  offer  them;  and 
trouble  me  with  no  more  words  of  gratitude,  for 
I  value  your  consideration  even  more  lightly  than 
I  do  your  intellect.  A  time  will  come,  if  you  should 
be  spared  to  see  a  number  of  years  in  health  and 
mind,  when  you  will  think  differently  of  all  this, 
and  blush  for  your  to-night's  behaviour." 


NEW    ARABIAN    NIGHTS       71 

So  saying,  the  Doctor  arose  from  his  chair, 
repeated  his  directions  briefly  and  clearly,  and 
departed  from  the  room  without  permitting  Silas 
any  time  to  answer. 

The  next  morning  Silas  presented  himself  at  the 
hotel,  where  he  was  politely  received  by  Colonel 
Geraldine,  and  relieved,  from  that  moment,  of  all 
immediate  alarm  about  his  trunk  and  its  grisly 
contents.  The  journey  passed  over  without  much 
incident,  although  the  young  man  was  horrified  to 
overhear  the  sailors  and  railway  porters  complain 
ing  among  themselves  about  the  unusual  weight 
of  the  Prince's  baggage.  Silas  travelled  in  a  car 
riage  with  the  valets,  for  Prince  Florizel  chose  to 
be  alone  with  his  Master  of  the  Horse.  On  board 
the  steamer,  however,  Silas  attracted  his  High- 
ness's  attention  by  the  melancholy  of  his  air  and 
attitude  as  he  stood  gazing  at  the  pile  of  bag 
gage;  for  he  was  still  full  of  disquietude  about 
the  future. 

"  There  is  a  young  man,"  observed  the  Prince, 
"  who  must  have  some  cause  for  sorrow." 

'  That,"  replied  Geraldine,  "  is  the  American 
for  whom  I  obtained  permission  to  travel  with 
your  suite." 

'  You  remind  me  that  I  have  been  remiss  in 
courtesy,"  said  Prince  Florizel,  and  advancing  to 
Silas,  he  addressed  him  with  the  most  exquisite 
condescension  in  these  words: 

"  I  was  charmed,  young  sir,  to  be  able  to  gratify 
the  desire  you  made  known  to  me  through  Colonel 
Geraldine.  Remember,  if  you  please,  that  I  shall 


72       NEW    ARABIAN    NIGHTS 

be  glad  at  any  future  time  to  lay  you  under  a 
more  serious  obligation." 

And  then  he  put  some  questions  as  to  the  polit 
ical  condition  of  America,  which  Silas  answered 
with  sense  and  propriety. 

"  You  are  still  a  young  man,"  said  the  Prince ; 
"  but  I  observe  you  to  be  very  serious  for  your 
years.  Perhaps  you  allow  your  attention  to  be 
too  much  occupied  with  grave  studies.  But,  per 
haps,  on  the  other  hand,  I  am  myself  indiscreet 
and  touch  upon  a  painful  subject." 

"  I  have  certainly  cause  to  be  the  most  miserable 
of  men,"  said  Silas;  "never  has  a  more  innocent 
person  been  more  dismally  abused." 

"  I  will  not  ask  you  for  your  confidence,"  re 
turned  Prince  Florizel.  "  But  do  not  forget  that 
Colonel  Geraldine's  recommendation  is  an  unfail 
ing  passport;  and  that  I  am  not  only  willing,  but 
possibly  more  able  than  many  others,  to  do  you  a 
service." 

Silas  was  delighted  with  the  amiability  of  this 
great  personage;  but  his  mind  soon  returned  upon 
its  gloomy  preoccupations ;  for  not  even  the  favour 
of  a  Prince  to  a  Republican  can  discharge  a  brood 
ing  spirit  of  its  cares. 

The  train  arrived  at  Charing  Cross,  where  the 
officers  of  the  Revenue  respected  the  baggage  of 
Prince  Florizel  in  the  usual  manner.  The  most 
elegant  equipages  were  in  waiting;  and  Silas  was 
driven,  along  with  the  rest,  to  the  Prince's  resi 
dence.  There  Colonel  Geraldine  sought  him  out, 
and  expressed  himself  pleased  to  have  been  of  any 


NEW   ARABIAN    NIGHTS      73 

service  to  a  friend  of  the  physician's,  for  whom  he 
professed  a  great  consideration. 

"  I  hope,"  he  added,  "  that  you  will  find  none  of 
your  porcelain  injured.  Special  orders  were  given 
along  the  line  to  deal  tenderly  with  the  Prince's 
effects." 

And  then,  directing  the  servants  to  place  one  of 
the  carriages  at  the  young  gentleman's  disposal, 
and  at  once  to  charge  the  Saratoga  trunk  upon  the 
dickey,  the  Colonel  shook  hands  and  excused  him 
self  on  account  of  his  occupations  in  the  princely 
household. 

Silas  now  broke  the  seal  of  the  envelope  con 
taining  the  address,  and  directed  the  stately  foot 
man  to  drive  him  to  Box  Court,  opening  off  the 
Strand.  It  seemed  as  if  the  place  were  not  at  all 
unknown  to  the  man,  for  he  looked  startled  and 
begged  a  repetition  of  the  order.  It  was  with  a 
heart  full  of  alarms,  that  Silas  mounted  into  the 
luxurious  vehicle,  and  was  driven  to  his  destina 
tion.  The  entrance  to  Box  Court  was  too  narrow 
for  the  passage  of  a  coach ;  it  was  a  mere  footway 
between  railings,  with  a  post  at  either  end.  On 
one  of  these  posts  was  seated  a  man,  who  at  once 
jumped  down  and  exchanged  a  friendly  sign  with 
the  driver,  while  the  footman  opened  the  door  and 
inquired  of  Silas  whether  he  should  take  down  the 
Saratoga  trunk,  and  to  what  number  it  should  be 
carried. 

"  If  you  please,"  said  Silas.  "  To  number 
three." 

The  footman  and  the  man  who  had  been  sitting 


74       NEW    ARABIAN    NIGHTS 

on  the  post,  even  with  the  aid  of  Silas  himself,  had 
hard  work  to  carry  in  the  trunk ;  and  before  it  was 
deposited  at  the  door  of  the  house  in  question,  the 
young  American  was  horrified  to  find  a  score  of 
loiterers  looking  on. 

But  he  knocked  with  as  good  a  countenance  as 
he  could  muster  up,  and  presented  the  other  en 
velope  to  him  who  opened. 

"  He  is  not  at  home,"  said  he,  "  but  if  you  will 
leave  your  letter  and  return  to-morrow  early,  I 
shall  be  able  to  inform  you  whether  and  when  he 
can  receive  your  visit.  Would  you  like  to  leave 
your  box?"  he  added. 

"  Dearly,"  cried  Silas ;  and  the  next  moment 
he  repented  his  precipitation,  and  declared,  with 
equal  emphasis,  that  he  would  rather  carry  the 
box  along  with  him  to  the  hotel. 

The  crowd  jeered  at  his  indecision  and  followed 
him  to  the  carriage  with  insulting  remarks;  and 
Silas,  covered  with  shame  and  terror,  implored 
the  servants  to  conduct  him  to  some  quiet  and  com 
fortable  house  of  entertainment  in  the  immediate 
neighbourhood. 

The  Prince's  equipage  deposited  Silas  at  the 
Craven  Hotel  in  Craven  Street,  and  immediately 
drove  away,  leaving  him  alone  with  the  servants 
of  the  inn.  The  only  vacant  room,  it  appeared, 
was  a  little  den  up  four  pairs  of  stairs,  and  look 
ing  towards  the  back.  To  this  hermitage,  with 
infinite  trouble  and  complaint,  a  pair  of  stout  por 
ters  carried  the  Saratoga  trunk.  It  is  needless  to 
mention  that  Silas  kept  closely  at  their  heels 


NEW    ARABIAN    NIGHTS       75 

throughout  the  ascent,  and  had  his  heart  in  his 
mouth  at  every  corner.  A  single  false  step,  he 
reflected,  and  the  box  might  go  over  the  banisters 
and  land  its  fatal  contents,  plainly  discovered,  on 
the  pavement  of  the  hall. 

Arrived  in  the  room,  he  sat  down  on  the  edge 
of  his  bed  to  recover  from  the  agony  that  he  had 
just  endured;  but  he  had  hardly  taken  his  posi 
tion  when  he  was  recalled  to  a  sense  of  his  peril 
by  the  action  of  the  boots,  who  had  knelt  beside 
the  trunk,  and  was  proceeding  officiously  to  undo 
its  elaborate  fastenings. 

"  Let  it  be !  "  cried  Silas.  "  I  shall  want  nothing 
from  it  while  I  stay  here." 

"  You  might  have  let  it  lie  in  the  hall,  then," 
growled  the  man ;  "a  thing  as  big  and  heavy  as 
a  church.  What  you  have  inside,  I  cannot  fancy. 
If  it  is  all  money,  you  are  a  richer  man  than  me." 

"  Money  ? "  repeated  Silas,  in  a  sudden  per 
turbation.  "  What  do  you  mean  by  jnoney  ?  I 
have  no  money,  and  you  are  speaking  like  a  fool." 

"  All  right,  Captain,"  retorted  the  boots  with  a 
wink.  "  There 's  nobody  will  touch  your  lord 
ship's  money.  I  'm  as  safe  as  the  bank,"  he  added; 
"  but  as  the  box  is  heavy,  I  should  n't  mind  drink 
ing  something  to  your  lordship's  health." 

Silas  pressed  two  Napoleons  upon  his  accept 
ance,  apologising,  at  the  same  time,  for  being 
obliged  to  trouble  him  with  foreign  money,  and 
pleading  his  recent  arrival  for  excuse.  And  the 
man,  grumbling  with  even  greater  fervour,  and 
looking  contemptuously  from  the  money  in  his 


76       NEW    ARABIAN    NIGHTS 

hand  to  the  Saratoga  trunk  and  back  again  from 
the  one  to  the  other,  at  last  consented  to  withdraw. 

For  nearly  two  days  the  dead  body  had  been 
packed  into  Silas's  box;  and  as  soon  as  he  was 
alone  the  unfortunate  New-Englander  nosed  all 
the  cracks  and  openings  with  the  most  passion 
ate  attention.  But  the  weather  was  cool,  and 
the  trunk  still  managed  to  contain  his  shocking 
secret. 

He  took  a  chair  beside  it,  and  buried  his  face  in 
his  hands,  and  his  mind  in  the  most  profound  re^ 
flection.  If  he  were  not  speedily  relieved,  no  ques 
tion  but  he  must  be  speedily  discovered.  Alone  in 
a  strange  city,  without  friends  or  accomplices,  if 
the  Doctor's  introduction  failed  him,  he  was  in 
dubitably  a  lost  New-Englander.  He  reflected 
pathetically  over  his  ambitious  designs  for  the 
future;  he  should  not  now  become  the  hero  and 
spokesman  of  his  native  place  of  Bangor,  Maine; 
he  should  not,  as  he  had  fondly  anticipated,  move 
on  from  office  to  office,  from  honour  to  honour; 
he  might  as  well  divest  himself  at  once  of  all  hope 
of  being  acclaimed  President  of  the  United  States, 
and  leaving  behind  him  a  statue,  in  the  worst 
possible  style  of  art,  to  adorn  the  Capitol  at  Wash 
ington.  Here  he  was,  chained  to  a  dead  English 
man  doubled  up  inside  a  Saratoga  trunk;  whom 
he  must  get  rid  of,  or  perish  from  the  rolls  of 
national  glory! 

I  should  be  afraid  to  chronicle  the  language 
employed  by  this  young  man  to  the  Doctor,  to  the 
murdered  man,  to  Madame  Zephyrine,  to  the  boots 


NEW    ARABIAN    NIGHTS       77 

of  the  hotel,  to  the  Prince's  servants,  and,  in  a 
word,  to  all  who  had  been  ever  so  remotely  con 
nected  with  his  horrible  misfortune. 

He  slunk  down  to  dinner  about  seven  at  night; 
but  the  yellow  coffee-room  appalled  him,  the  eyes 
of  the  other  diners  seemed  to  rest  on  his  with 
suspicion,  and  his  mind  remained  up-stairs  with 
the  Saratoga  trunk.  When  the  waiter  came  to 
offer  him  cheese,  his  nerves  were  already  so  much 
on  edge  that  he  leaped  half-way  out  of  his  chair 
and  upset  the  remainder  of  a  pint  of  ale  upon  the 
table-cloth. 

The  fellow  offered  to  show  him  the  smoking- 
room  when  he  had  done;  and  although  he  would 
have  much  preferred  to  return  at  once  to  his  peril 
ous  treasure,  he  had  not  the  courage  to  refuse,  and 
was  shown  down-stairs  to  the  black,  gas-lit  cellar, 
which  formed,  and  possibly  still  forms,  the  divan 
of  the  Craven  Hotel. 

Two  very  sad  betting  men  were  playing  billiards, 
attended  by  a  moist,  consumptive  marker ;  and  for 
the  moment  Silas  imagined  that  these  were  the  only 
occupants  of  the  apartment.  But  at  the  next  glance 
his  eye  fell  upon  a  person  smoking  in  the  farthest 
corner,  with  lowered  eyes  and  a  most  respectable 
and  modest  aspect.  He  knew  at  once  that  he 
had  seen  the  face  before;  and  in  spite  of  the 
entire  change  of  clothes,  recognised  the  man  whom 
he  had  found  seated  on  a  post  at  the  entrance 
to  Box  Court,  and  who  had  helped  him  to  carry 
the  trunk  to  and  from  the  carriage.  The  New- 
Englander  simply  turned  and  ran,  nor  did  he 


78       NEW    ARABIAN    NIGHTS 

pause  until  he  had  locked  and  bolted  himself  into 
his  bedroom. 

There,  all  night  long,  a  prey  to  the  most  terrible 
imaginations,  he  watched  beside  the  fatal  boxful 
of  dead  flesh.  The  suggestion  of  the  boots  that 
his  trunk  was  full  of  gold  inspired  him  with  all 
manner  of  new  terrors,  if  he  so  much  as  dared  to 
close  an  eye;  and  the  presence  in  the  smoking- 
room,  and  under  an  obvious  disguise,  of  the  loi 
terer  from  Box  Court  convinced  him  that  he  was 
once  more  the  centre  of  obscure  machination. 

Midnight  had  sounded  some  time,  when,  im 
pelled  by  uneasy  suspicions,  Silas  opened  his  bed 
room  door  and  peered  into  the  passage.  It  was 
dimly  illuminated  by  a  single  jet  of  gas;  and 
some  distance  off  he  perceived  a  man  sleeping  on 
the  floor  in  the  costume  of  an  hotel  under-servant. 
Silas  drew  near  the  man  on  tiptoe.  He  lay  partly 
on  his  back,  partly  on  his  side,  and  his  right  fore 
arm  concealed  his  face  from  recognition.  Sud 
denly,  while  the  American  was  still  bending  over 
him,  the  sleeper  removed  his  arm  and  opened  his 
eyes,  and  Silas  found  himself  once  more  face  to 
face  with  the  loiterer  of  Box  Court. 

"  Good-night,  sir,"  said  the  man,  pleasantly. 

But  Silas  was  too  profoundly  moved  to  find  an 
answer,  and  regained  his  room  in  silence. 

Towards  morning,  worn  out  by  apprehension, 
he  fell  asleep  on  his  chair,  with  his  head  forward 
on  the  trunk.  In  spite  of  so  constrained  an  atti 
tude  and  such  a  grisly  pillow,  his  slumber  was 
sound  and  prolonged,  and  he  was  only  awakened 


NEW    ARABIAN    NIGHTS       79 

at  a  late  hour  and  by  a  sharp  tapping  at  the 
door. 

He  hurried  to  open,  and  found  the  boots  without. 
'  You  are  the  gentleman  who  called  yesterday 
at  Box  Court  ?  "  he  asked. 

Silas,  with  a  quaver,  admitted  that  he  had 
done  so. 

"  Then  this  note  is  for  you,"  added  the  servant, 
proffering  a  sealed  envelope. 

Silas  tore  it  open,  and  found  inside  the  words: 
"  Twelve  o'clock." 

He  was  punctual  to  the  hour;  the  trunk  was 
carried  before  him  by  several  stout  servants;  and 
he  was  himself  ushered  into  a  room,  where  a  man 
sat  warming  himself  before  the  fire  with  his  back 
towards  the  door.  The  sound  of  so  many  per 
sons  entering  and  leaving,  and  the  scraping  of 
the  trunk  as  it  was  deposited  upon  the  bare 
boards,  were  alike  unable  to  attract  the  notice  of 
the  occupant ;  and  Silas  stood  waiting,  in  an  agony 
of  fear,  until  he  should  deign  to  recognise  his 
presence. 

Perhaps  five  minutes  had  elapsed  before  the  man 
turned  leisurely  about,  and  disclosed  the  features 
of  Prince  Florizel  of  Bohemia. 

"  So,  sir,"  he  said  with  great  severity,  "  this  is 
the  manner  in  which  you  abuse  my  politeness. 
You  join  yourself  to  persons  of  condition,  I  per 
ceive,  for  no  other  purpose  than  to  escape  the 
consequences  of  your  crimes;  and  I  can  readily 
understand  your  embarrassment  when  I  addressed 
myself  to  you  yesterday." 


8o       NEW    ARABIAN    NIGHTS 

"  Indeed,"  cried  Silas,  "  I  am  innocent  of  every 
thing  except  misfortune." 

And  in  a  hurried  voice,  and  with  the  greatest 
ingenuousness,  he  recounted  to  the  Prince  the 
whole  history  of  his  calamity. 

"  I  see  I  have  been  mistaken,"  said  his  High 
ness,  when  he  had  heard  him  to  an  end.  "  You 
are  no  other  than  a  victim,  and  since  I  am  not  to 
punish  you,  you  may  be  sure  I  shall  do  my  utmost 
to  help.  And  now,"  he  continued,  "  to  business. 
Open  your  box  at  once,  and  let  me  see  what  it 
contains." 

Silas  changed  colour. 

"  I  almost  fear  to  look  upon  it,"  he  exclaimed. 

"  Nay,"  replied  the  Prince,  "  have  you  not  looked 
at  it  already?  This  is  a  form  of  sentimentality  to 
be  resisted.  The  sight  of  a  sick  man,  whom  we 
can  still  help,  should  appeal  more  directly  to  the 
feelings  than  that  of  a  dead  man  who  is  equally 
beyond  help  or  harm,  love  or  hatred.  Nerve  your 
self,  Mr.  Scuddamore,"  and  then,  seeing  that  Silas 
still  hesitated,  "  I  do  not  desire  to  give  another 
name  to  my  request,"  he  added. 

The  young  American  awoke  as  if  out  of  a 
dream,  and  with  a  shiver  of  repugnance  addressed 
himself  to  loose  the  straps  and  open  the  lock  of 
the  Saratoga  trunk.  The  Prince  stood  by,  watch 
ing  with  a  composed  countenance  and  his  hands 
behind  his  back.  The  body  was  quite  stiff,  and 
it  cost  Silas  a  great  effort,  both  moral  and  physi 
cal,  to  dislodge  it  from  its  position,  and  discover 
the  face, 


NEW    ARABIAN    NIGHTS       81 

Prince  Florizel  started  back  with  an  exclamation 
of  painful  surprise. 

"  Alas!  "  he  cried,  "  you  little  know,  Mr.  Scud- 
damore,  what  a  cruel  gift  you  have  brought  me. 
This  is  a  young  man  of  my  own  suite,  the  brother 
of  my  trusted  friend;  and  it  was  upon  matters  of 
my  own  service  that  he  has  thus  perished  at  the 
hands  of  violent  and  treacherous  men.  Poor 
Geraldine,"  he  went  on,  as  if  to  himself,  "  in 
what  words  am  I  to  tell  you  of  your  brother's 
fate?  How  can  I  excuse  myself  in  your  eyes,  or 
in  the  eyes  of  God,  for  the  presumptuous  schemes 
that  led  him  to  this  bloody  and  unnatural  death? 
Ah,  Florizel !  Florizel !  when  will  you  learn  the 
discretion  that  suits  mortal  life,  and  be  no  longer 
dazzled  with  the  image  of  power  at  your  disposal  ? 
Power !  "  he  cried ;  "  who  is  more  powerless  ?  I 
look  upon  this  young  man  whom  I  have  sacri 
ficed,  Mr.  Scuddamore,  and  feel  how  small  a  thing 
it  is  to  be  a  Prince." 

Silas  was  moved  at  the  sight  of  his  emotion. 
He  tried  to  murmur  some  consolatory  words,  and 
burst  into  tears.  The  Prince,  touched  by  his  ob 
vious  intention,  came  up  to  him  and  took  him  by 
the  hand. 

"  Command  yourself,"  said  he.  "  We  have  both 
much  to  learn,  and  we  shall  both  be  better  men  for 
to-day's  meeting." 

Silas  thanked  him  in  silence,  with  an  affection 
ate  look. 

"  Write  me  the  address  of  Dr.  Noel  on  this 
piece  of  paper,"  continued  the  Prince,  leading  him 

VOL.   III.  —  6 


82       NEW    ARABIAN    NIGHTS 

towards  the  table ;  "  and  let  me  recommend  you, 
when  you  are  again  in  Paris,  to  avoid  the  society 
of  that  dangerous  man.  He  has  acted  in  this 
matter  on  a  generous  inspiration;  that  I  must 
believe;  had  he  been  privy  to  young  Geraldine's 
death  he  would  never  have  despatched  the  body 
to  the  care  of  the  actual  criminal." 

"  The  actual  criminal !  "  repeated  Silas  in  as 
tonishment. 

"  Even  so,"  returned  the  Prince.  "  This  letter, 
which  the  disposition  of  Almighty  Providence  has 
so  strangely  delivered  into  my  hands,  was  ad 
dressed  to  no  less  a  person  than  the  criminal 
himself,  the  infamous  President  of  the  Suicide 
Club.  Seek  to  pry  no  further  in  these  perilous 
affairs,  but  content  yourself  with  your  own  miracu 
lous  escape,  and  leave  this  house  at  once.  I  have 
pressing  affairs,  and  must  arrange  at  once  about 
this  poor  clay,  which  was  so  lately  a  gallant  and 
handsome  youth." 

Silas  took  a  grateful  and  submissive  leave  of 
Prince  Florizel,  but  he  lingered  in  Box  Court  until 
he  saw  him  depart  in  a  splendid  carriage  on  a  visit 
to  Colonel  Henderson,  of  the  police.  Republican 
as  he  was,  the  young  American  took  off  his  hat 
with  almost  a  sentiment  of  devotion  to  the  retreat 
ing  carriage.  And  the  same  night  he  started  by 
rail  on  his  return  to  Paris. 

Here  (observes  my  Arabian  author)  is  the  end 
of  the  HISTORY  OF  THE  PHYSICIAN  AND  THE 
SARATOGA  TRUNK.  Omitting  some  reflections  on 


NEW    ARABIAN    NIGHTS       83 

the  power  of  Providence,  highly  pertinent  in  the 
original,  but  little  suited  to  our  occidental  taste,  I 
shall  only  add  that  Mr.  Scuddamore  has  already 
begun  to  mount  the  ladder  of  political  fame,  and 
by  last  advices  was  the  Sheriff  of  his  native  town. 


THE  ADVENTURE  OF  THE  HANSOM  CAB 

L[EUTENANT  BRACKENBURY  RICH 
had  greatly  distinguished  himself  in  one 
of  the  lesser  Indian  hill  wars.  He  it  was 
who  took  the  chieftain  prisoner  with  his  own  hand ; 
his  gallantry  was  universally  applauded ;  and  when 
he  came  home,  prostrated  by  an  ugly  sabre  cut 
and  a  protracted  jungle  fever,  society  was  prepared 
to  welcome  the  Lieutenant  as  a  celebrity  of  minor 
lustre.  But  his  was  a  character  remarkable  for 
unaffected  modesty;  adventure  was  dear  to  his 
heart,  but  he  cared  little  for  adulation;  and  he 
waited  at  foreign  watering-places  and  in  Algiers 
until  the  fame  of  his  exploits  had  run  through  its 
nine  days'  vitality  and  begun  to  be  forgotten.  He 
arrived  in  London  at  last,  in  the  early  season,  with 
as  little  observation  as  he  could  desire;  and  as  he 
was  an  orphan  and  had  none  but  distant  relatives 
who  lived  in  the  provinces,  it  was  almost  as  a  for 
eigner  that  he  installed  himself  in  the  capital  of 
the  country  for  which  he  had  shed  his  blood. 

On  the  day  following  his  arrival  he  dined  alone 
at  a  military  club.  He  shook  hands  with  a  few 
old  comrades,  and  received  their  congratulations; 
but  as  one  and  all  had  some  engagement  for  the 
evening,  he  found  himself  left  entirely  to  his  own 
resources.  He  was  in  dress,  for  he  had  entertained 


NEW    ARABIAN    NIGHTS       85 

the  notion  of  visiting  a  theatre.  But  the  great  city 
was  new  to  him;  he  had  gone  from  a  provincial 
school  to  a  military  college,  and  thence  direct  to 
the  Eastern  Empire;  and  he  promised  himself  a 
variety  of  delights  in  this  world  for  exploration. 
Swinging  his  cane,  he  took  his  way  westward.  It 
was  a  mild  evening,  already  dark,  and  now  and 
then  threatening  rain.  The  succession  of  faces  in 
the  lamplight  stirred  the  Lieutenant's  imagination ; 
and  it  seemed  to  him  as  if  he  could  walk  for  ever 
in  that  stimulating  city  atmosphere  and  surrounded 
by  the  mystery  of  four  million  private  lives.  He 
glanced  at  the  houses,  and  marvelled  what  was 
passing  behind  those  warmly-lighted  windows ;  he 
looked  into  face  after  face,  and  saw  them  each 
intent  upon  some  unknown  interest,  criminal  or 
kindly. 

"  They  talk  of  war/'  he  thought,  "  but  this  is 
the  great  battlefield  of  mankind." 

And  then  he  began  to  wonder  that  he  should 
walk  so  long  in  this  complicated  scene,  and  not 
chance  upon  so  much  as  the  shadow  of  an  adven 
ture  for  himself. 

"  All  in  good  time,"  he  reflected.  "  I  am  still 
a  stranger,  and  perhaps  wear  a  strange  air.  But 
I  must  be  drawn  into  the  eddy  before  long." 

The  night  was  already  well  advanced,  when  a 
plump  of  cold  rain  fell  suddenly  out  of  the  dark 
ness.  Brackenbury  paused  under  some  trees,  and 
as  he  did  so  he  caught  sight  of  a  hansom  cabman 
making  him  a  sign  that  he  was  disengaged.  The 
circumstance  fell  in  so  happily  to  the  occasion  that 


86       NEW    ARABIAN    NIGHTS 

he  at  once  raised  his  cane  in  answer,  and  had  soon 
ensconced  himself  in  the  London  gondola. 

"  Where  to,  sir?"  asked  the  driver. 

"  Where  you  please,"  said  Brackenbury. 

And  immediately,  at  a  pace  of  surprising  swift 
ness,  the  hansom  drove  off  through  the  rain  into 
a  maze  of  villas.  One  villa  was  so  like  another, 
each  with  its  front  garden,  and  there  was  so  little 
to  distinguish  the  deserted  lamp-lit  streets  and  cres 
cents  through  which  the  flying  hansom  took  its 
way,  that  Brackenbury  soon  lost  all  idea  of  direc 
tion.  He  would  have  been  contented  to  believe 
that  the  cabman  was  amusing  himself  by  driving 
him  round  and  round  and  in  and  out  about  a  small 
quarter,  but  there  was  something  businesslike  in 
the  speed  which  convinced  him  of  the  contrary. 
The  man  had  an  object  in  view,  he  was  hasten 
ing  towards  a  definite  end;  and  Brackenbury  was 
at  once  astonished  at  the  fellow's  skill  in  pick 
ing  a  way  through  such  a  labyrinth,  and  a  little 
concerned  to  imagine  what  was  the  occasion  of 
his  hurry.  He  had  heard  tales  of  strangers  fall 
ing  ill  in  London.  Did  the  driver  belong  to 
some  bloody  and  treacherous  association?  and 
was  he  himself  being  whirled  to  a  murderous 
death  ? 

The  thought  had  scarcely  presented  itself,  when 
the  cab  swung  sharply  round  a  corner  and  pulled 
up  before  the  garden  gate  of  a  villa  in  a  long  and 
wide  road.  The  house  was  brilliantly  lighted  up. 
Another  hansom  had  just  driven  away,  and  Brack 
enbury  could  see  a  gentleman  being  admitted  at 


NEW    ARABIAN    NIGHTS       87 

the  front  door  and  received  by  several  liveried 
servants.  He  was  surprised  that  the  cabman 
should  have  stopped  so  immediately  in  front  of  a 
house  where  a  reception  was  being  held;  but  he 
did  not  doubt  it  was  the  result  of  accident,  and 
sat  placidly  smoking  where  he  was,  until  he  heard 
the  trap  thrown  open  over  his  head. 

"  Here  we  are,  sir,"  said  the  driver. 

"Here!"  repeated  Brackenbury.     "Where?" 
'  You  told  me  to  take  you  where  I  pleased,  sir," 
returned  the  man  with  a  chuckle,  "  and  here  we 
are." 

It  struck  Brackenbury  that  the  voice  was  won 
derfully  smooth  and  courteous  for  a  man  in  so  in 
ferior  a  position ;  he  remembered  the  speed  at  which 
he  had  been  driven;  and  now  it  occurred  to  him 
that  the  hansom  was  more  luxuriously  appointed 
than  the  common  run  of  public  conveyances. 

"  I  must  ask  you  to  explain,"  said  he.  "  Do  you 
mean  to  turn  me  out  into  the  rain?  My  good  man, 
I  suspect  the  choice  is  mine." 

"  The  choice  is  certainly  yours,"  replied  the 
driver ;  "  but  when  I  tell  you  all,  I  believe  I  know 
how  a  gentleman  of  your  figure  will  decide.  There 
is  a  gentleman's  party  in  this  house.  I  do  not 
know  whether  the  master  be  a  stranger  to  London 
and  without  acquaintances  of  his  own ;  or  whether 
he  is  a  man  of  odd  notions.  But  certainly  I  was 
hired  to  kidnap  single  gentlemen  in  evening  dress, 
as  many  as  I  pleased,  but  military  officers  by  pref 
erence.  You  have  simply  to  go  in  and  say  that 
Mr.  Morris  invited  you." 


88       NEW    ARABIAN    NIGHTS 

"  Are  you  Mr.  Morris  ? "  inquired  the  Lieu 
tenant. 

"  Oh,  no,"  replied  the  cabman.  "  Mr.  Morris 
is  the  person  of  the  house." 

"  It  is  not  a  common  way  of  collecting  guests," 
said  Brackenbury ;  "  but  an  eccentric  man  might 
very  well  indulge  the  whim  without  any  intention 
to  offend.  And  suppose  that  I  refuse  Mr.  Morris's 
invitation,"  he  went  on,  "  what  then  ?  " 

"  My  orders  are  to  drive  you  back  where  I  took 
you  from,"  replied  the  man,  "  and  set  out  to  look 
for  others  up  to  midnight.  Those  who  have  no 
fancy  for  such  an  adventure,  Mr.  Morris  said, 
were  not  the  guests  for  him." 

These  words  decided  the  Lieutenant  on  the  spot. 

"  After  all,"  he  reflected,  as  he  descended  from 
the  hansom,  "  I  have  not  had  long  to  wait  for  my 
adventure." 

He  had  hardly  found  footing  on  the  sidewalk, 
and  was  still  feeling  in  his  pocket  for  the  fare, 
when  the  cab  swung  about  and  drove  off  by  the 
way  it  came  at  the  former  break-neck  velocity. 
Brackenbury  shouted  after  the  man,  who  paid  no 
heed,  and  continued  to  drive  away;  but  the  sound 
of  his  voice  was  overheard  in  the  house,  the  door 
was  again  thrown  open,  emitting  a  flood  of  light 
upon  the  garden,  and  a  servant  ran  down  to  meet 
him  holding  an  umbrella. 

'  The  cabman  has  been  paid,"  observed  the 
servant  in  a  very  civil  tone;  and  he  proceeded 
to  escort  Brackenbury  along  the  path  and  up  the 
steps  Tn  the  hall  several  other  attendants  relieved 


NEW    ARABIAN    NIGHTS       89 

him  of  his  hat,  cane,  and  paletot,  gave  him  a  ticket 
with  a  number  in  return,  and  politely  hurried  him 
up  a  stair  adorned  with  tropical  flowers,  to  the 
door  of  an  apartment  on  the  first  story.  Here  a 
grave  butler  inquired  his  name,  and  announcing 
"  Lieutenant  Brackenbury  Rich,"  ushered  him  into 
the  drawing-room  of  the  house. 

A  young  man,  slender  and  singularly  handsome, 
came  forward  and  greeted  him  with  an  air  at  once 
courtly  and  affectionate.  Hundreds  of  candles,  of 
the  finest  wax,  lit  up  a  room  that  was  perfumed, 
like  the  staircase,  with  a  profusion  of  rare  and 
beautiful  flowering  shrubs.  A  side-table  was 
loaded  with  tempting  viands.  Several  servants 
went  to  and  fro  with  fruits  and  goblets  of  cham 
pagne.  The  company  was  perhaps  sixteen  in  num 
ber,  all  men,  few  beyond  the  prime  of  life,  and 
with  hardly  an  exception,  of  a  dashing  and  capable 
exterior.  They  were  divided  into  two  groups,  one 
about  a  roulette  board,  and  the  other  surrounding 
a  table  at  which  one  of  their  number  held  a  bank 
of  baccarat. 

"  I  see,"  thought  Brackenbury,  "  I  am  in  a  pri 
vate  gambling  saloon,  and  the  cabman  was  a  tout." 

His  eye  had  embraced  the  details,  and  his  mind 
formed  the  conclusion,  while  his  host  was  still 
holding  him  by  the  hand;  and  to  him  his  looks 
returned  from  this  rapid  survey.  At  a  second 
view  Mr.  Morris  surprised  him  still  more  than  on 
the  first.  The  easy  elegance  of  his  manners,  the 
distinction,  amiability,  and  courage  that  appeared 
upon  his  features,  fitted  very  ill  with  the  Lieu- 


90       NEW    ARABIAN    NIGHTS 

tenant's  preconceptions  on  the  subject  of  the  pro 
prietor  of  a  hell ;  and  the  tone  of  his  conversation 
seemed  to  mark  him  out  for  a  man  of  position 
and  merit.  Brackenbury  found  he  had  an  instinc 
tive  liking  for  his  entertainer;  and  though  he  chid 
himself  for  the  weakness  he  was  unable  to  resist 
a  sort  of  friendly  attraction  for  Mr.  Morris's  per 
son  and  character. 

"  I  have  heard  of  you,  Lieutenant  Rich,"  said 
Mr.  Morris,  lowering  his  tone;  "and  believe  me 
I  am  gratified  to  make  your  acquaintance.  Your 
looks  accord  with  the  reputation  that  has  preceded 
you  from  India.  And  if  you  will  forget  for  awhile 
the  irregularity  of  your  presentation  in  my  house, 
I  shall  feel  it  not  only  an  honour,  but  genuine 
pleasure  besides.  A  man  who  makes  a  mouthful 
of  barbarian  cavaliers,"  he  added  with  a  laugh, 
"  should  not  be  appalled  by  a  breach  of  etiquette, 
however  serious." 

And  he  led  him  towards  the  sideboard  and 
pressed  him  to  partake  of  some  refreshments. 

"  Upon  my  word,"  the  Lieutenant  reflected, 
"  this  is  one  of  the  pleasantest  fellows  and,  I  do 
not  doubt,  one  of  the  most  agreeable  societies  in 
London." 

He  partook  of  some  champagne,  which  he  found 
excellent ;  and  observing  that  many  of  the  company 
were  already  smoking,  he  lit  one  of  his  own  Ma 
nillas,  and  strolled  up  to  the  roulette  board,  where 
he  sometimes  made  a  stake  and  sometimes  looked 
on  smilingly  on  the  fortune  of  others.  It  was  while 
he  was  thus  idling  that  he  became  aware  of  a  sharp 


NEW    ARABIAN    NIGHTS       91 

scrutiny  to  which  the  whole  of  the  guests  were 
subjected.  Mr.  Morris  went  here  and  there,  osten 
sibly  busied  on  hospitable  concerns;  but  he  had 
ever  a  shrewd  glance  at  disposal;  not  a  man  of 
the  party  escaped  his  sudden,  searching  looks;  he 
took  stock  of  the  bearing  of  heavy  losers,  he  valued 
the  amount  of  the  stakes,  he  paused  behind  couples 
who  were  deep  in  conversation;  and,  in  a  word, 
there  was  hardly  a  characteristic  of  any  one  pres 
ent  but  he  seemed  to  catch  and  make  a  note  of  it. 
Brackenbury  began  to  wonder  if  this  were  indeed 
a  gambling  hell :  it  had  so  much  the  air  of  a  pri 
vate  inquisition.  He  followed  Mr.  Morris  in  all 
his  movements ;  and  although  the  man  had  a  ready 
smile,  he  seemed  to  perceive,  as  it  were  under  a 
mask,  a  haggard,  careworn,  and  preoccupied  spirit. 
The  fellows  around  him  laughed  and  made  their 
game;  but  Brackenbury  had  lost  interest  in  the 
guests. 

"  This  Morris,"  thought  he,  "  is  no  idler  in  the 
room.  Some  deep  purpose  inspires  him;  let  it  be 
mine  to  fathom  it." 

Now  and  then  Mr.  Morris  would  call  one  of  his 
visitors  aside;  and  after  a  brief  colloquy  in  an 
ante-room,  he  would  return  alone,  and  the  visitors 
in  question  reappeared  no  more.  After  a  certain 
number  of  repetitions,  this  performance  excited 
Brackenbury' s  curiosity  to  a  high  degree.  He 
determined  to  be  at  the  bottom  of  this  minor 
mystery  at  once;  and  strolling  into  the  ante 
room,  found  a  deep  window  recess  concealed  by 
curtains  of  the  fashionable  green.  Here  he  hur- 


92       NEW    ARABIAN    NIGHTS 

riedly  ensconced  himself;  nor  had  he  to  wait  long 
before  the  sound  of  steps  and  voices  drew  near  him 
from  the  principal  apartment.  Peering  through 
the  division,  he  saw  Mr.  Morris  escorting  a  fat 
and  ruddy  personage,  with  somewhat  the  look 
of  a  commercial  traveller,  whom  Brackenbury 
had  already  remarked  for  his  coarse  laugh  and 
under-bred  behaviour  at  the  table.  The  pair 
halted  immediately  before  the  window,  so  that 
Brackenbury  lost  not  a  word  of  the  following 
discourse : 

"  I  beg  you  a  thousand  pardons !  "  began  Mr. 
Morris,  with  the  most  conciliatory  manner ;  "  and, 
if  I  appear  rude,  I  am  sure  you  will  readily  forgive 
me.  In  a  place  so  great  as  London  accidents  must 
continually  happen ;  and  the  best  that  we  can  hope 
is  to  remedy  them  with  as  small  delay  as  possible. 
I  will  not  deny  that  I  fear  you  have  made  a  mis 
take  and  honoured  my  poor  house  by  inadvertence ; 
for,  to  speak  openly,  I  cannot  at  all  remember  your 
appearance.  Let  me  put  the  question  without  un 
necessary  circumlocution  —  between  gentlemen  of 
honour  a  word  will  suffice  —  Under  whose  roof 
do  you  suppose  yourself  to  be?  " 

'  That  of  Mr.  Morris,"  replied  the  other,  with 
a  prodigious  display  of  confusion,  which  had  been 
visibly  growing  upon  him  throughout  the  last  few 
words. 

"  Mr.  John  or  Mr.  James  Morris  ?  "  inquired 
the  host. 

"  I  really  cannot  tell  you,"  returned  the  unfor 
tunate  guest.  "  I  am  not  personally  acquainted 


NEW    ARABIAN    NIGHTS 


93 


with  the  gentlemen,  any  more  than  I  am  with 
yourself." 

"  I  see,"  said  Mr.  Morris.  "  There  is  another 
person  of  the  same  name  farther  down  the  street; 
and  I  have  no  doubt  the  policeman  will  be  able  to 
supply  you  with  his  number.  Believe  me,  I  felici 
tate  myself  on  the  misunderstanding  which  has 
procured  me  the  pleasure  of  your  company  for  so 
long;  and  let  me  express  a  hope  that  we  may  meet 
again  upon  a  more  regular  footing.  Meantime,  I 
would  not  for  the  world  detain  you  longer  from 
your  friends.  John,"  he  added,  raising  his  voice, 
"  will  you  see  that  the  gentleman  finds  his  great 
coat?"' 

And  with  the  most  agreeable  air  Mr.  Morris 
escorted  his  visitor  as  far  as  the  ante-room  door, 
where  he  left  him  under  conduct  of  the  butler. 
As  he  passed  the  window,  on  his  return  to  the 
drawing-room,  Brackenbury  could  hear  him  utter 
a  profound  sigh,  as  though  his  mind  was  loaded 
with  a  great  anxiety,  and  his  nerves  already 
fatigued  with  the  task  on  which  he  was  engaged. 

For  perhaps  an  hour  the  hansoms  kept  arriving 
with  such  frequency,  that  Mr.  Morris  had  to  re 
ceive  a  new  guest  for  every  old  one  that  he  sent 
away,  and  the  company  preserved  its  number  un- 
diminished.  But  towards  the  end  of  that  time  the 
arrivals  grew  few  and  far  between,  and  at  length 
ceased  entirely,  while  the  process  of  elimination 
was  continued  with  unimpaired  activity.  The 
drawing-room  began  to  look  empty:  the  baccarat 
was  discontinued  for  lack  of  a  banker;  more  than 


94       NEW    ARABIAN    NIGHTS 

one  person  said  good-night  of  his  own  accord, 
and  was  suffered  to  depart  without  expostulation : 
and  in  the  meanwhile  Mr.  Morris  redoubled  in 
agreeable  attentions  to  those  who  stayed  behind. 
He  went  from  group  to  group  and  from  person 
to  person  with  looks  of  the  readiest  sympathy  and 
the  most  pertinent  and  pleasing  talk;  he  was  not 
so  much  like  a  host  as  like  a  hostess,  and  there  was 
a  feminine  coquetry  and  condescension  in  his  man 
ner  which  charmed  the  hearts  of  all. 

As  the  guests  grew  thinner,  Lieutenant  Rich 
strolled  for  a  moment  out  of  the  drawing-room 
into  the  hall  in  quest  of  fresher  air.  But  he  had 
no  sooner  passed  the  threshold  of  the  ante-chamber 
than  he  was  brought  to  a  dead  halt  by  a  discovery 
of  the  most  surprising  nature.  The  flowering 
shrubs  had  disappeared  from  the  staircase;  three 
large  furniture  wagons  stood  before  the  garden- 
gate  ;  the  servants  were  busy  dismantling  the  house 
upon  all  sides;  and  some  of  them  had  already 
donned  their  great-coats  and  were  preparing  to 
depart.  It  was  like  the  end  of  a  country  ball, 
where  everything  has  been  supplied  by  contract. 
Brackenbury  had  indeed  some  matter  for  reflec 
tion.  First,  the  guests,  who  were  no  real  guests 
after  all,  had  been  dismissed;  and  now  the  ser 
vants,  who  could  hardly  be  genuine  servants,  were 
actively  dispersing. 

"  Was  the  whole  establishment  a  sham  ?  "  he 
asked  himself.  "  The  mushroom  of  a  single  night 
which  should  disappear  before  morning?" 

Watching  a   favourable   opportunity,    Bracken- 


NEW    ARABIAN    NIGHTS       95 

bury  dashed  up-stairs  to  the  higher  regions  of  the 
house.  It  was  as  he  had  expected.  He  ran  from 
room  to  room,  and  saw  not  a  stick  of  furniture 
nor  so  much  as  a  picture  on  the  walls.  Although 
the  house  had  been  painted  and  papered,  it  vras 
not  only  uninhabited  at  present,  but  plainly  had 
never  been  inhabited  at  all.  The  young  officer 
remembered  with  astonishment  its  specious,  settled, 
and  hospitable  air  on  his  arrival.  It  was  only  at 
a  prodigious  cost  that  the  imposture  could  have 
been  carried  out  upon  so  great  a  scale. 

Who,  then,  was  Mr.  Morris?  What  was  his 
intention  in  thus  playing  the  householder  for  a 
single  night  in  the  remote  west  of  London?  And 
why  did  he  collect  his  visitors  at  hazard  from  the 
streets  ? 

Brackenbury  remembered  that  he  had  already 
delayed  too  long,  and  hastened  to  join  the  com 
pany.  Many  had  left  during  his  absence;  and 
counting  the  Lieutenant  and  his  host,  there  were 
not  more  than  five  persons  in  the  drawing-room 
—  recently  so  thronged.  Mr.  Morris  greeted  him, 
as  he  re-entered  the  apartment,  with  a  smile,  and 
immediately  rose  to  his  feet. 

"  It  is  now  time,  gentlemen,"  said  he,  "  to  ex 
plain  my  purpose  in  decoying  you  from  your 
amusements.  I  trust  you  did  not  find  the  evening 
hang  very  dully  on  your  hands;  but  my  object,  I 
will  confess  it,  was  not  to  entertain  your  leisure, 
but  to  help  myself  in  an  unfortunate  necessity. 
You  are  all  gentlemen,"  he  continued,  "  your  ap 
pearance  does  you  that  much  justice,  and  I  ask  for 


96       NEW    ARABIAN    NIGHTS 

no  better  security.  Hence,  I  speak  it  without  con 
cealment,  I  ask  you  to  render  me  a  dangerous  and 
delicate  service;  dangerous  because  you  may  run 
the  hazard  of  your  lives,  and  delicate  because  I 
must  ask  an  absolute  discretion  upon  all  that  you 
shall  see  or  hear.  From  an  utter  stranger  the 
request  is  almost  comically  extravagant ;  I  am 
well  aware  of  this;  and  I  would  add  at  once,  if 
there  be  any  one  present  who  has  heard  enough, 
if  there  be  one  among  the  party  who  recoils  from 
a  dangerous  confidence  and  a  piece  of  Quixotic 
devotion  to  he  knows  not  whom  —  here  is  my 
hand  ready,  and  I  shall  wish  him  good-night  and 
God-speed,  with  all  the  sincerity  in  the  world." 

A  very  tall,  black  man,  with  a  heavy  stoop,  im 
mediately  responded  to  this  appeal. 

"  I  commend  your  frankness,  sir/'  said  he ; 
"  and,  for  my  part,  I  go.  I  make  no  reflections ; 
but  I  cannot  deny  that  you  fill  me  with  suspicious 
thoughts.  I  go  myself,  as  I  say;  and  perhaps  you 
will  think  I  have  no  right  to  add  words  to  my 
example." 

"  On  the  contrary,"  replied  Mr.  Morris,  "  I  am 
obliged  to  you  for  all  you  say.  It  would  be  im 
possible  to  exaggerate  the  gravity  of  my  proposal." 

"Well,  gentlemen,  what  do  you  say?"  said  the 
tall  man,  addressing  the  others.  "  We  have  had 
our  evening's  frolic ;  shall  we  go  homeward  peace 
ably  in  a  body?  You  will  think  well  of  my  sug 
gestion  in  the  morning,  when  you  see  the  sun  again 
in  innocence  and  safety." 

The  speaker  pronounced  the  last  words  with  an 


NEW    ARABIAN    NIGHTS       97 

intonation  which  added  to  their  force;  and  his 
face  wore  a  singular  expression,  full  of  gravity 
and  significance.  Another  of  the  company  rose 
hastily,  and,  with  some  appearance  of  alarm,  pre 
pared  to  take  his  leave.  There  were  only  two 
who  held  their  ground,  Brackenbury  and  an  old 
red-nosed  cavalry  Major;  but  these  two  preserved 
a  nonchalant  demeanour,  and,  beyond  a  look  of  in 
telligence  which  they  rapidly  exchanged,  appeared 
entirely  foreign  to  the  discussion  that  had  just 
been  terminated. 

Mr.  Morris  conducted  the  deserters  as  far  as  the 
door,  which  he  closed  upon  their  heels;  then  he 
turned  round  disclosing  a  countenance  of  mingled 
relief  and  animation,  and  addressed  the  two  offi 
cers  as  follows : 

"  I  have  chosen  my  men  like  Joshua  in  the 
Bible,"  said  Mr.  Morris,  "  and  I  now  believe  I 
have  the  pick  of  London.  Your  appearance 
pleased  my  hansom  cabmen ;  then  it  delighted  me ; 
I  have  watched  your  behaviour  in  a  strange  com 
pany,  and  under  the  most  unusual  circumstances; 
I  have  studied  how  you  played  and  how  you  bore 
your  losses ;  lastly,  I  have  put  you  to  the  test  of 
a  staggering  announcement,  and  you  received  it 
like  an  invitation  to  dinner.  It  is  not  for  noth 
ing,"  he  cried,  "  that  I  have  been  for  years  the 
companion  and  the  pupil  of  the  bravest  and  wisest 
potentate  in  Europe." 

"  At  the  affair  of  Bunderchang,"  observed  the 
Major,  "  I  asked  for  twelve  volunteers,  and  every 
trooper  in  the  ranks  replied  to  my  appeal.  But 

VOL.    III.  — 7 


98       NEW    ARABIAN    NIGHTS 

a  gaming  party  is  not  the  same  thing  as  a  regi 
ment  under  fire.  You  may  be  pleased,  I  suppose, 
to  have  found  two,  and  two  who  will  not  fail 
you  at  a  push.  As  for  the  pair  who  ran  away, 
I  count  them  among  the  most  pitiful  hounds  I 
ever  met  with.  Lieutenant  Rich,"  he  added,  ad 
dressing  Brackenbury, . "  I  have  heard  much  of 
you  of  late;  and  I  cannot  doubt  but  you  have 
also  heard  of  me.  I  am  Major  O'Rooke." 

And  the  veteran  tendered  his  hand,  which  was 
red  and  tremulous,  to  the  young  Lieutenant. 

"Who  has  not?"  answered  Brackenbury. 

"  When  this  little  matter  is  settled,"  said  Mr. 
Morris,  "  you  will  think  I  have  sufficiently  re 
warded  you;  for  I  could  offer  neither  a  more 
valuable  service  than  to  make  him  acquainted  with 
the  other." 

"And  now,"  said  Major  O'Rooke,  "is  it  a 
duel?" 

"  A  duel  after  a  fashion,"  replied  Mr.  Morris, 
"  a  duel  with  unknown  and  dangerous  enemies, 
and,  as  I  gravely  fear,  a  duel  to  the  death.  I 
must  ask  you,"  he  continued,  "  to  call  me  Morris 
no  longer:  call  me,  if  you  please,  Hammersmith; 
my  real  name,  as  well  as  that  of  another  person 
to  whom  I  hope  to  present  you  before  long,  you 
will  gratify  me  by  not  asking  and  not  seeking  to 
discover  for  yourselves.  Three  days  ago  the  per 
son  of  whom  I  speak  disappeared  suddenly  from 
home;  and,  until  this  morning,  I  received  no  hint 
&f  his  situation.  You  will  fancy  my  alarm  when 
I  tell  you  that  he  is  engaged  upon  a  work  of  pri- 


NEW    ARABIAN    NIGHTS       99 

vate  justice.  Bound  by  an  unhappy  oath,  too 
lightly  sworn,  he  finds  it  necessary,  without  the 
help  of  law,  to  rid  the  earth  of  an  insidious  'and 
bloody  villain.  Already  two  of  our  friends,  and 
one  of  them  my  own  born  brother,  have  perished 
in  the  enterprise.  He  himself,  or  I  am  much  de 
ceived,  is  taken  in  the  same  fatal  toils.  But  at 
least  he  still  lives  and  still  hopes,  as  this  billet 
sufficiently  proves." 

And  the  speaker,  no  other  than  Colonel  Geral- 
dine,  proffered  a  letter,  thus  conceived : 

"MAJOR  HAMMERSMITH, — On  Wednesday,  at  3  A.M., 
you  will  be  admitted  by  the  small  door  to  the  gardens  of 
Rochester  House,  Regent's  Park,  by  a  man  who  is  entirely  in 
my  interest.  I  must  request  you  not  to  fail  me  by  a  second. 
Pray  bring  my  case  of  swords,  and,  if  you  can  find  them,  one 
or  tw.o  gentlemen  of  conduct  and  discretion  to  whom  my  per 
son  is  unknown.  My  name  must  not  be  used  in  this  affair. 

"T.  GODALL." 

"  From  his  wisdom  alone,  if  he  r\ad  no  other 
title,"  pursued  Colonel  Geraldine,  when  the  others 
had  each  satisfied  his  curiosity,  "  my  friend  is  a 
man  whose  directions  should  implicitly  be  followed. 
I  need  not  tell  you,  therefore,  that  I  have  not  so 
much  as  visited  the  neighbourhood  of  Rochester 
House;  and  that  I  am  still  as  wholly  in  the  dark 
as  either  of  yourselves  as  to  the  nature  of  my 
friend's  dilemma.  I  betook  myself,  as  soon  as  I 
had  received  this  order,  to  a  furnishing  contractor, 
and,  in  a  few  hours,  the  house  in  which  we  now 
are  had  assumed  its  late  air  of  festival.  My 
scheme  was  at  least  original;  and  I  am  far  from 


ioo     NEW    ARABIAN    NIGHTS 

regretting  an  action  which  has  procured  me  the 
services  of  Major  O'Rooke  and  Lieutenant  Brack- 
enbury  Rich.  But  the  servants  in  the  street  will 
have  a  strange  awakening.  The  house  which  this 
evening  was  full  of  lights  and  visitors  they  will 
find  uninhabited  and  for  sale  to-morrow  morning. 
Thus  even  the  most  serious  concerns,"  added  the 
Colonel,  "  have  a  merry  side." 

"  And  let  us  add  a  merry  ending,"  said  Brack- 
enbury. 

The  Colonel  consulted  his  watch. 

"  It  is  now  hard  on  two,"  he  said.  "  We  have 
an  hour  before  us,  and  a  swift  cab  is  at  the  door. 
Tell  me  if  I  may  count  upon  your  help." 

"  During  a  long  life,"  replied  Major  O'Rooke, 
"  I  never  took  back  my  hand  from  anything,  nor 
so  much  as  hedged  a  bet." 

Brackenbury  signified  his  readiness  in  the  most 
becoming  terms ;  and  after  they  had  drunk  a  glass 
or  two  of  wine,  the  Colonel  gave  each  of  them  a 
loaded  revolver,  and  the  three  mounted  into  the 
cab  and  drove  off  for  the  address  in  question. 

Rochester  House  was  a  magnificent  residence 
on  the  banks  of  the  canal.  The  large  extent  of 
the  garden  isolated  it  in  an  unusual  degree  from 
the  annoyances  of  neighbourhood.  It  seemed  the 
pare  aux  cerfs  of  some  great  nobleman  or  mil 
lionaire.  As  far  as  could  be  seen  from  the  street, 
there  was  not  a  glimmer  of  light  in  any  of  the 
numerous  windows  of  the  mansion ;  and  the  place 
had  a  look  of  neglect,  as  though  the  master  had 
been  long  from  home. 


NEW    ARABIAN    NIGHTS     101 

The  cab  was  discharged,  and  the  three  gentle 
men  were  not  long  in  discovering  the  small  door, 
which  was  a  sort  of  postern  in  a  lane  between  two 
garden  walls.  It  still  wanted  ten  or  fifteen  minutes 
of  the  appointed  time;  the  rain  fell  heavily,  and 
the  adventurers  sheltered  themselves  below  some 
pendent  ivy,  and  spoke  in  low  tones  of  the  ap 
proaching  trial. 

Suddenly  Geraldine  raised  his  finger  to  com 
mand  silence,  and  all  three  bent  their  hearing  to 
the  utmost.  Through  the  continuous  noise  of  the 
rain,  the  steps  and  voices  of  two  men  became 
audible  from  the  other  side  of  the  wall;  and,  as 
they  drew  nearer,  Brackenbury,  whose  sense  of 
hearing  was  remarkably  acute,  could  even  distin 
guish  some  fragments  of  their  talk. 

"  Is  the  grave  dug?  "  asked  one. 

"It  is,"  replied  the  other;  "behind  the  laurel 
hedge.  When  the  job  is  done,  we  tan  cover  it 
with  a  pile  of  stakes." 

The  first  speaker  laughed,  and  the  sound  of  his 
merriment  was  shocking  to  the  listeners  on  the 
other  side. 

"  In  an  hour  from  now/'  he  said. 

And  by  the  sounds  of  the  steps  it  was  obvious 
that  the  pair  had  separated,  and  were  proceeding 
in  contrary  directions. 

Almost  immediately  after  the  postern  door  was 
cautiously  opened,  a  white  face  was  protruded  into 
the  lane,  and  a  hand  was  seen  beckoning  to  the 
watchers.  In  dead  silence  the  three  passed  the 
door,  which  was  immedi'  tely  locked  behind  them, 


102     NEW   ARABIAN    NIGHTS 

and  followed  their  guide  through  several  garden 
alleys  to  the  kitchen  entrance  of  the  house.  A 
single-  candle  burned  in  the  great  paved  kitchen, 
which  was  destitute  of  the  customary  furniture ; 
and  as  the  party  proceeded  to  ascend  from  thence 
by  'a  flight  of  winding  stairs,  a  prodigious  noise 
of  rats  testified  still  more  plainly  to  the  dilapida 
tion  of  the  house. 

Their  conductor  preceded  them,  carrying  the 
candle.  He  was  a  lean  man,  much  bent,  but  still 
agile;  and  he  turned  from  time  to  time  and  ad 
monished  silence  and  caution  by  his  gestures. 
Colonel  Geraldine  followed  on  his  heels,  the  case 
of  swords  under  one  arm,  and  a  pistol  ready  in 
the  other.  Brackenbury's  heart  beat  thickly.  He 
perceived  that  they  were  still  in  time;  but  he 
judged  from  the  alacrity  of  the  old  man  that  the 
hour  of  action  must  be  near  at  hand;  the  circum 
stances  of  this  adventure  were  so  obscure  and 
menacing,  the  place  seemed  so  well  chosen  for  the 
darkest  acts,  that  an  older  man  than  Brackenbury 
might  have  been  pardoned  a  measure  of  emotion 
as  he  closed  the  procession  up  the  winding  stair. 

At  the  top  the  guide  threw  open  a  door  and 
ushered  the  three  officers  before  him  into  a  small 
apartment,  lighted  by  a  smoky  lamp  and  the  glow 
of  a  modest  fire.  At  the  chimney  corner  sat  a 
man  in  the  early  prime  of  life,  and  of  a  stout  but 
courtly  and  commanding  appearance.  His  attitude 
and  expression  were  those  of  the  most  unmoved 
Composure;  he  was  smoking  a  cheroot  with  much 
enjoyment  and  deliberation,  and  on  a  table  by  his 


NEW    ARABIAN    NIGHTS     103 

elbow  stood  a  long  glass  of  some  effervescing  bev 
erage,  which  diffused  an  agreeable  odour  through 
the  room. 

"  Welcome,"  said  he,  extending  his  hand  to 
Colonel  Geraldine.  "  I  knew  I  might  count  on 
your  exactitude." 

"  On  my  devotion/'  replied  the  Colonel,  with  a 
bow. 

"  Present  me  to  your  friends,"  continued  the 
first;  and,  when  that  ceremony  had  been  per 
formed,  "  I  wish,  gentlemen,"  he  added,  with  the 
most  exquisite  affability,  "  that  I  could  offer  you 
a  more  cheerful  programme;  it  is  ungracious  to 
inaugurate  an  acquaintance  upon  serious  affairs; 
but  the  compulsion  of  events  is  stronger  than  the 
obligations  of  good-fellowship.  I  hope  and  believe 
you  will  be  able  to  forgive  me  this  unpleasant 
evening;  and  for  men  of  your  stamp  it  will  be 
enough  to  know  that  you  are  conferring  a  con 
siderable  favour." 

"  Your  Highness,"  said  the  Major,  ft  must  par 
don  my  bluntness.  I  am  unable  to  hide  what  I 
know.  For  some  time  back  I  have  suspected 
Major  Hammersmith,  but  Mr.  Godall  is  unmis 
takable.  To  seek  two  men  in  London  unac 
quainted  with  Prince  Florizel  of  Bohemia  was  to 
ask  too  much  at  Fortune's  hands." 

"  Prince  Florizel !  "  cried  Brackenbury  in  amaze 
ment. 

And  he  gazed  with  the  deepest  interest  on  the 
features  of  the  celebrated  personage  before  him. 

"  I  shall  not  lament  the  loss  of  my  incognito/' 


io4     NEW    ARABIAN    NIGHTS 

remarked  the  Prince,  "  for  it  enables  me  to  thank 
you  with  the  more  authority.  You  would  have 
done  as  much  for  Mr.  Godall,  I  feel  sure,  as  for 
the  Prince  of  Bohemia;  but  the  latter  can  perhaps 
do  more  for  you.  The  gain  is  mine,"  he  added, 
with  a  courteous  gesture. 

And  the  next  moment  he  was  conversing  with 
the  two  officers  about  the  Indian  army  and  the 
native  troops,  a  subject  on  which,  as  on  all  others, 
he  had  a  remarkable  fund  of  information  and  the 
soundest  views. 

There  was  something  so  striking  in  this  man's 
attitude  at  a  moment  of  deadly  peril  that  Bracken- 
bury  was  overcome  with  respectful  admiration ;  nor 
was  he  less  sensible  to  the  charm  of  his  conver 
sation  or  the  surprising  amenity  of  his  address. 
Every  gesture,  every  intonation,  was  not  only  noble 
in  itself,  but  seemed  to  ennoble  the  fortunate  mortal 
for  whom  it  was  intended;  and  Brackenbury  con 
fessed  to  himself  with  enthusiasm  that  this  was  a 
sovereign  for  whom  a  brave  man  might  thankfully 
lay  down  his  life. 

Many  minutes  had  thus  passed,  when  the  person 
who  had  introduced  them  into  the  house,  and  who 
had  sat  ever  since  in  a  corner,  and  with  his  watch 
in  his  hand,  arose  and  whispered  a  word  into  the 
Prince's  ear. 

"It  is  well,  Dr.  Noel,"  replied  Florizel,  aloud: 
and  then  addressing  the  others,  "  You  will  excuse 
me,  gentlemen,"  he  added,  "  if  I  have  to  leave  you 
in  the  dark.  The  moment  now  approaches." 

Dr.  Noel  extinguished  the  lamp.    A  faint,  grey 


NEW    ARABIAN    NIGHTS     105 

light,  premonitory  of  the  dawn,  illuminated  the 
window,  but  was  not  sufficient  to  illuminate  the 
room ;  and  when  the  Prince  rose  to  his  feet,  it  was 
impossible  to  distinguish  his  features  or  to  make 
a  guess  at  the  nature  of  the  emotion  which  obvi 
ously  affected  him  as  he  spoke.  He  moved  towards 
the  door,  and  placed  himself  at  one  side  of  it  in 
an  attitude  of  the  wariest  attention. 

"  You  will  have  the  kindness,"  he  said,  "  to 
maintain  the  strictest  silence,  and  to  conceal  your 
selves  in  the  densest  of  the  shadow." 

The  three  officers  and  the  physician  hastened 
to  obey,  and  for  nearly  ten  minutes  the  only  sound 
in  Rochester  House  was  occasioned  by  the  excur 
sions  of  the  rats  behind  the  woodwork.  At  the 
end  of  that  period,  a  loud  creak  of  a  hinge  broke 
in  with  surprising  distinctness  on  the  silence; 
and  shortly  after,  the  watchers  could  distinguish 
a  slow  and  cautious  tread  approaching  up  the 
kitchen  stair.  At  every  second  step  the  intruder 
seemed  to  pause  and  lend  an  ear,  and  during  these 
intervals,  which  seemed  of  an  incalculable  dura 
tion,  a  profound  disquiet  possessed  the  spirit  of 
the  listeners.  Dr.  Noel,  accustomed  as  he  was 
to  dangerous  emotions,  suffered  an  almost  pitiful 
physical  prostration;  his  breath  whistled  in  his 
lungs,  his  teeth  grated  one  upon  another,  and 
his  joints  cracked  aloud  as  he  nervously  shifted 
his  position. 

At  last  a  hand  was  laid  upon  the  door,  and  the 
bolt  shot  back  with  a  slight  report.  There  fol 
lowed  another  pause,  during  which  Brackenbury 


106     NEW    ARABIAN    NIGHTS 

could  see  the  Prince  draw  himself  together  noise 
lessly  as  if  for  some  unusual  exertion.  Then  the 
door  opened,  letting  in  a  little  more  of  the  light 
of  the  morning;  and  the  figure  of  a  man  appeared 
upon  the  threshold  and  stood  motionless.  He  was 
tall,  and  carried  a  knife  in  his  hand.  Even  in  the 
twilight  they  could  see  his  upper  teeth  bare  and 
glistening,  for  his  mouth  was  open  like  that  of  a 
hound  about  to  leap.  The  man  had  evidently  been 
over  the  head  in  water  but  a  minute  or  two  before; 
and  even  while  he  stood  there  the  drops  kept  fall 
ing  from  his  wet  clothes  and  pattered  on  the  floor. 

The  next  moment  he  crossed  the  threshold. 
There  was  a  leap,  a  stifled  cry,  an  instantaneous 
struggle;  and  before  Colonel  Geraldine  could 
spring  to  his  aid,  the  Prince  held  the  man,  dis 
armed  and  helpless,  by  the  shoulders. 

"  Dr.  Noel,"  he  said,  "  you  will  be  so  good  as 
to  relight  the  lamp." 

And  relinquishing  the  charge  of  his  prisoner  to 
Geraldine  and  Brackenbury,  he  crossed  the  room 
and  set  his  back  against  the  chimney-piece.  As 
soon  as  the  lamp  had  kindled,  the  party  beheld 
an  unaccustomed  sternness  on  the  Prince's  fea 
tures.  It  was  no  longer  Florizel,  the  careless  gen 
tleman;  it  was  the  Prince  of  Bohemia,  justly 
incensed  and  full  of  deadly  purpose,  who  now 
raised  his  head  and  addressed  the  captive  Presi 
dent  of  the  Suicide  Club. 

"  President,"  he  said,  "  you  have  laid  your  last 
snare,  and  your  own  feet  are  taken  in  it.  The  day 
is  beginning;  it  is  your  last  morning.  You  have 


NEW    ARABIAN    NIGHTS     107 

just  swum  the  Regent's  Canal ;  it  is  your  last 
bathe  in  this  world.  Your  old  accomplice,  Dr. 
Noel,  so  far  from  betraying  me,  has  delivered  you 
into  my  hands  for  judgment.  And  the  grave  you 
had  dug  for  me  this  afternoon  shall  serve,  in  God's 
almighty  providence,  to  hide  your  own  just  doom 
from  the  curiosity  of  mankind.  Kneel  and  pray, 
sir,  if  you  have  a  mind  that  way;  for  your  time 
is  short,  and  God  is  weary  of  your  iniquities." 

The  President  made  no  answer  either  by  word 
or  sign;  but  continued  to  hang  his  head  and  gaze 
sullenly  on  the  floor,  as  though  he  were  con 
scious  of  the  Prince's  prolonged  and  unsparing 
regard. 

"  Gentlemen,"  continued  Florizel,  resuming  the 
ordinary  tone  of  his  conversation,  "  this  is  a  fel 
low  who  has  long  eluded  me,  but  whom,  thanks 
to  Dr.  Noel,  I  now  have  tightly  by  the  heels.  To 
tell  the  story  of  his  misdeeds  would  occupy  more 
time  than  we  can  now  afford ;  but  if  the  canal  had 
contained  nothing  but  the  blood  of  his  victims,  I 
believe  the  wretch  would  have  been  no  drier  than 
you  see  him.  Even  in  an  affair  of  this  sort  I  de 
sire  to  preserve  the  forms  of  honour.  But  I  make 
you  the  judges,  gentlemen  —  this  is  more  an  exe 
cution  than  a  duel;  and  to  give  the  rogue  his 
choice  of  weapons  would  be  to  push  too  far  a 
point  of  etiquette.  I  cannot  afford  to  lose  my  life 
in  such  a  business,"  he  continued,  unlocking  the 
case  of  swords ;  "  and  as  a  pistol-bullet  travels  so 
often  on  the  wings  of  chance,  and  skill  and  cour 
age  may  fall  by  the  most  trembling  marksman,  I 


108     NEW    ARABIAN    NIGHTS 

have  decided,  and  I  feel  sure  you  will  approve  my 
determination,  to  put  this  question  to  the  touch  of 
swords." 

When  Brackenbury  and  Major  O'Rooke,  to 
whom  these  remarks  were  particularly  addressed, 
had  each  intimated  his  approval,  "  Quick,  sir," 
added  Prince  Florizel  to  the  President,  "  choose 
a  blade  and  do  not  keep  me  waiting;  I  have  an 
impatience  to  be  done  with  you  for  ever." 

For  the  first  time  since  he  was  captured  and 
disarmed  the  President  raised  his  head,  and  it 
was  plain  that  he  began  instantly  to  pluck  up 
courage. 

"  Is  it  to  be  stand  up?  "  he  asked  eagerly,  "  and 
between  you  and  me  ?  " 

"  I  mean  so  far  to  honour  you,"  replied  the 
Prince. 

"Oh,  come!"  cried  the  President.  "With  a 
fair  field,  who  knows  how  things  may  happen?  I 
must  add  that  I  consider  it  handsome  behaviour 
on  your  Highness's  part;  and  if  the  worst  comes 
to  the  worst  I  shall  die  by  one  of  the  most  gallant 
gentlemen  in  Europe." 

And  the  President,  liberated  by  those  who  had 
detained  him,  stepped  up  to  the  table  and  began, 
with  minute  attention,  to  select  a  sword.  He  was 
highly  elated,  and  seemed  to  feel  no  doubt  that  he 
should  issue  victorious  from  the  contest.  The 
spectators  grew  alarmed  in  the  face  of  so  entire 
a  confidence,  and  adjured  Prince  Florizel  to  recon 
sider  his  intention. 

"  It  is  but  a  farce,"  he  answered ;   "  and  I  think 


NEW    ARABIAN    NIGHTS     109 

I  can  promise  you,  gentlemen,  that  it  will  not  be 
long  a-playing." 

"  Your  Highness  will  be  careful  not  to  over 
reach,"  said  Colonel  Geraldine. 

"  Geraldine,"  returned  the  Prince,  "  did  you  ever 
know  me  fail  in  a  debt  of  honour?  I  owe  you 
this  man's  death,  and  you  shall  have  it." 

The  President  at  last  satisfied  himself  with  one 
of  the  rapiers,  and  signified  his  readiness  by  a 
gesture  that  was  not  devoid  of  a  rude  nobility. 
The  nearness  of  peril,  and  the  sense  of  courage, 
even  to  this  obnoxious  villain,  lent  an  air  of  man 
hood  and  a  certain  grace. 

The  Prince  helped  himself  at  random  to  a  sword. 

"  Colonel  Geraldine  and  Dr.  Noel,"  he  said, 
"  will  have  the  goodness  to  await  me  in  this  room. 
I  wish  no  personal  friend  of  mine  to  be  involved 
in  this  transaction.  Major  O'Rooke,  you  are  a 
man  of  some  years  and  a  settled  reputation  —  let 
me  recommend  the  President  to  your  good  graces. 
Lieutenant  Rich  will  be  so  good  as  to  lend  me 
his  attentions  :  a  young  man  cannot  have  too  much 
experience  in  such  affairs." 

"  Your  Highness,"  replied  Brackenbury,  "  it  is 
an  honour  I  shall  prize  extremely." 

"  It  is  well,"  returned  Prince  Florizel ;  "  I  shall 
hope  to  stand  your  friend  in  more  important 
circumstances." 

And  so  saying  he  led  the  way  out  of  the  apart 
ment  and  down  the  kitchen  stairs. 

The  two  men  who  were  thus  left  alone  threw 
open  the  window  and  leaned  out,  straining  every 


no     NEW    ARABIAN    NIGHTS 

sense  to  catch  an  indication  of  the  tragical  events 
that  were  about  to  follow.  The  rain  was  now  over ; 
day  had  almost  come,  and  the  birds  were  piping 
in  the  shrubbery  and  on  the  forest  trees  of  the 
garden.  The  Prince  and  his  companions  were 
visible  for  a  moment  as  they  followed  an  alley 
between  two  flowering  thickets;  but  at  the  first 
corner  a  clump  of  foliage  intervened,  and  they 
were  again  concealed  from  view.  This  was  all 
the  Colonel  and  the  physician  had  an  opportunity 
to  see,  and  the  garden  was  so  vast,  and  the  place 
of  combat  evidently  so  remote  from  the  house, 
that  not  even  the  noise  of  sword-play  reached  their 
ears. 

"  He  has  taken  him  towards  the  grave,"  said 
Dr.  Noel,  with  a  shudder. 

"God,"  cried  the  Colonel,  "God  defend  the 
right!" 

And  they  awaited  the  event  in  silence,  the 
Doctor  shaking  with  fear,  the  Colonel  in  an  agony 
of  sweat.  Many  minutes  must  have  elapsed,  the 
day  was  sensibly  broader,  and  the  birds  were  sing 
ing  more  heartily  in  the  garden  before  a  sound  of 
returning  footsteps  recalled  their  glances  towards 
the  door.  It  was  the  Prince  and  the  two  Indian 
officers  who  entered.  God  had  defended  the 
right. 

"  I  am  ashamed  of  my  emotion,"  said  Prince 
Florizel ;  "  I  feel  it  a  weakness  unworthy  of  my 
station,  but  the  continued  existence  of  that  hound 
of  hell  had  begun  to  play  upon  me  like  a  disease, 
and  his  death  has  more  refreshed  me  than  a  night 


NEW    ARABIAN    NIGHTS     in 

of  slumber.  Look,  Geraldine,"  he  continued, 
throwing  his  sword  upon  the  floor,  "  there  is  the 
blood  of  the  man  who  killed  your  brother.  It 
should  be  a  welcome  sight.  And  yet,"  he  added, 
"  see  how  strangely  we  men  are  made !  my  revenge 
is  not  yet  five  minutes  old,  and  already  I  am  begin 
ning  to  ask  myself  if  even  revenge  be  attainable 
on  this  precarious  stage  of  life.  The  ill  he  did, 
who  can  undo  it  ?  The  career  in  which  he  amassed 
a  huge  fortune  (for  the  house  itself  in  which  he 
stayed  belonged  to  him)  — that  career  is  now  a 
part  of  the  destiny  of  mankind  for  ever;  and  I 
might  weary  myself  making  thrusts  in  carte  until 
the  crack  of  judgment,  and  Geraldine' s  brother 
would  be  none  the  less  dead,  and  a  thousand  other 
innocent  persons  would  be  none  the  less  dishon 
oured  and  debauched !  The  existence  of  a  man 
is  so  small  a  thing  to  take,  so  mighty  a  thing  to 
employ!  Alas!"  he  cried,  "is  there  anything  in 
life  so  disenchanting  as  attainment  ?  "  * 

"  God's  justice  has  been  done,"  replied  the 
Doctor.  "  So  much  I  behold.  The  lesson,  your 
Highness,  has  been  a  cruel  one  for  me;  and  I 
await  my  own  turn  with  deadly  apprehension." 

"What  was  I  saying?"  cried  the  Prince.  "I 
have  punished,  and  here  is  the  man  beside  us  who 
can  help  me  to  undo.  Ah,  Dr.  Noel!  you  and  I 
have  before  us  many  a  day  of  hard  and  honour 
able  toil;  and  perhaps,  before  we  have  done,  you 
may  have  more  than  redeemed  your  early  errors." 

"  And  in  the  meantime,"  said  the  Doctor,  "  let 
me  go  and  bury  my  oldest  friend." 


ii2     NEW    ARABIAN    NIGHTS 

(And  this,  observes  the  erudite  Arabian,  is  the 
fortunate  conclusion  of  the  tale.  The  Prince,  it 
is  superfluous  to  mention,  forgot  none  of  those 
who  served  him  in  this  great  exploit;  and  to  this 
day  his  authority  and  influence  help  them  forward 
in  their  public  career,  while  his  condescending 
friendship  adds  a  charm  to  their  private  life.  To 
collect,  continues  the  author,  all  the  strange  events 
in  which  this  Prince  has  played  the  part  of  Provi 
dence  were  to  fill  the  habitable  globe  with  books. 
But  the  stories  which  relate  to  the  fortunes  of  THE 
RAJAH'S  DIAMOND  are  of  too  entertaining  a  de 
scription,  says  he,  to  be  omitted.  Following  pru 
dently  in  the  footsteps  of  this  Oriental,  we  shall 
now  begin  the  series  to  which  he  refers  with  the 
STORY  OF  THE  BANDBOX.) 


THE    RAJAH'S    DIAMOND 


•7OL.  HI.  •=*»<{* 


THE    RAJAH'S    DIAMOND 

STORY    OF   THE    BANDBOX 

UP  to  the  age  of  sixteen,  at  a  private 
school  and  afterwards  at  one  of  those 
great  institutions  for  which  England  is 
justly  famous,  Mr.  Harry  Hartley  had  received 
the  ordinary  education  of  a  gentleman.  At  that 
period,  he  manifested  a  remarkable  distaste  for 
study;  and  his  only  surviving  parent  being  both 
weak  and  ignorant,  he  was  permitted  thencefor 
ward  to  spend  his  time  in  the  attainment  of  petty 
and  purely  elegant  accomplishments.  Two  years 
later,  he  was  left  an  orphan  and  almost  a  beggar. 
For  all  active  and  industrious  pursuits,'"  Harry  was 
unfitted  alike  by  nature  and  training.  He  could 
sing  romantic  ditties,  and  accompany  himself  with 
discretion  on  the  piano;  he  was  a  graceful  al 
though  a  timid  cavalier ;  he  had  a  pronounced  taste 
for  chess ;  and  nature  had  sent  him  into  the  world 
with  one  of  the  most  engaging  exteriors  that  can 
well  be  fancied.  Blond  and  pink,  with  dove's  eyes 
and  a  gentle  smile,  he  had  an  air  of  agreeable 
tenderness  and  melancholy,  and  the  most  submis 
sive  and  caressing  manners.  But  when  all  is  said, 
he  was  not  the  man  to  lead  armaments  of  war,  or 
direct  the  councils  of  a  State. 


ii6     NEW    ARABIAN    NIGHTS 

A  fortunate  chance  and  some  influence  obtained 
for  Harry,  at  the  time  of  his  bereavement,  the 
position  of  private  secretary  to  Major-General  Sir 
Thomas  Vandeleur,  C.B.  Sir  Thomas  was  a  man 
of  sixty,  loud-spoken,  boisterous,  and  domineering. 
For  some  reason,  some  service  the  nature  of  which 
had  been  often  whispered  and  repeatedly  denied, 
the  Rajah  of  Kashgar  had  presented  this  officer 
with  the  sixth  known  diamond  of  the  world.  The 
gift  transformed  General  Vandeleur  from  a  poor 
into  a  wealthy  man,  from  an  obscure  and  unpopu 
lar  soldier  into  one  of  the  lions  of  London  society ; 
the  possessor  of  the  Rajah's  Diamond  was  welcome 
in  the  most  exclusive  circles;  and  he  had  found 
a  lady,  young,  beautiful,  and  well-born,  who  was 
willing  to  call  the  diamond  hers  even  at  the  price 
of  marriage  with  Sir  Thomas  Vandeleur.  It  was 
commonly  said  at  the  time  that,  as  like  draws  to 
like,  one  jewel  had  attracted  another;  certainly 
Lady  Vandeleur  was  not  only  a  gem  of  the  finest 
water  in  her  own  person,  but  she  showed  herself 
to  the  world  in  a  very  costly  setting;  and  she  was 
considered  by  many  respectable  authorities,  as  one 
among  the  three  or  four  best  dressed  women  in 
England. 

Harry's  duty  as  secretary  was  not  particularly 
onerous;  but  he  had  a  dislike  for  all  prolonged 
work;  it  gave  him  pain  to  ink  his  fingers;  and 
the  charms  of  Lady  Vandeleur  and  her  toilettes 
drew  him  often  from  the  library  to  the  boudoir. 
He  had  the  prettiest  ways  among  women,  could 
talk  fashions  with  enjoyment,  and  was  never  more 


NEW    ARABIAN    NIGHTS     117 

happy  than  when  criticising  a  shade  of  ribbon,  or 
running  on  an  errand  to  the  milliner's.  In  short, 
Sir  Thomas's  correspondence  fell  into  pitiful  ar 
rears,  and  my  Lady  had  another  lady's-maid. 

At  last  the  General,  who  was  one  of  the  least 
patient  of  military  commanders,  arose  from  his 
place  in  a  violent  excess  of  passion,  and  indicated 
to  his  secretary  that  he  had  no  further  use  for  his 
services,  with  one  of  those  explanatory  gestures 
which  are  most  rarely  employed  between  gentle 
men.  The  door  being  unfortunately  open,  Mr. 
Hartley  fell  down-stairs  head-foremost. 

He  arose  somewhat  hurt  and  very  deeply  ag 
grieved.  The  life  in  the  General's  house  precisely 
suited  him;  he  moved,  on  a  more  or  less  doubtful 
footing,  in  very  genteel  company,  he  did  little,  he 
ate  of  the  best,  and  he  had  a  lukewarm  satisfac 
tion  in  the  presence  of  Lady  Vandeleur,  which,  in 
his  own  heart,  he  dubbed  by  a  more  emphatic 
name. 

Immediately  after  he  had  been  outraged  by  the 
military  foot,  he  hurried  to  the  boudoir  and  re 
counted  his  sorrows. 

:<  You  know  very  well,  my  dear  Harry,"  replied 
Lady  Vandeleur,  for  she  called  him  by  name  like 
a  child  or  a  domestic  servant,  "  that  you  never  by 
any  chance  do  what  the  General  tells  you.  No 
more  do  I,  you  may  say.  But  that  is  different. 
A  woman  can  earn  her  pardon  for  a  good  year 
of  disobedience  by  a  single  adroit  submission ;  and, 
besides,  no  one  is  married  to  his  private  secretary. 
I  shall  be  sorry  to  lose  you,  but  since  you  cannot 


n8     NEW    ARABIAN    NIGHTS 

stay  longer  in  a  house  where  you  have  been  in 
sulted,  I  shall  wish  you  good-bye,  and  I  promise 
you  to  make  the  General  smart  for  his  behaviour." 

Harry's  countenance  fell ;  tears  came  into  his 
eyes,  and  he  gazed  on  Lady  Vandeleur  with  a 
tender  reproach. 

"My  Lady,"  said  he,  "what  is  an  insult?  I 
should  think  little  indeed  of  any  one  who  could 
not  forgive  them  by  the  score.  But  to  leave  one's 
friends ;  to  tear  up  the  bonds  of  affection " 

He  was  unable  to  continue,  for  his  emotion 
choked  him,  and  he  began  to  weep. 

Lady  Vandeleur  looked  at  him  with  a  curious 
expression. 

"  This  little  fool,"  she  thought,  "  imagines  him 
self  to  be  in  love  with  me.  Why  should  he  not 
become  my  servant  instead  of  the  General's?  He 
is  good-natured,  obliging,  and  understands  dress; 
and  besides  it  will  keep  him  out  of  mischief.  He 
is  positively  too  pretty  to  be  unattached." 

That  night  she  talked  over  the  General,  who  was 
already  somewhat  ashamed  of  his  vivacity;  and 
Harry  was  transferred  to  the  feminine  department, 
where  his  life  was  little  short  of  heavenly.  He 
was  always  dressed  with  uncommon  nicety,  wore 
delicate  flowers  in  his  buttonhole,  and  could  enter 
tain  a  visitor  with  tact  and  pleasantry.  He  took 
a  pride  in  servility  to  a  beautiful  woman ;  received 
Lady  Vandeleur's  commands  as  so  many  marks 
of  favour;  and  was  pleased  to  exhibit  himself 
before  other  men,  who  derided  and  despised  him, 
in  his  character  of  male  lady's-maid  and  man  mil* 


NEW    ARABIAN    NIGHTS     119 

liner.  Nor  could  he  think  enough  of  his  existence 
from  a  moral  point  of  view.  Wickedness  seemed 
to  him  an  essentially  male  attribute,  and  to  pass 
one's  days  with  a  delicate  woman,  and  principally 
occupied  about  trimmings,  was  to  inhabit  an  en 
chanted  isle  among  the  storms  of  life. 

One  fine  morning  he  came  into  the  drawing- 
room  and  began  to  arrange  some  music  on  the 
top  of  the  piano.  Lady  Vandeleur,  at  the  other 
end  of  the  apartment,  was  speaking  somewhat 
eagerly  with  her  brother,  Charlie  Pendragon,  an 
elderly  young  man,  much  broken  with  dissipation, 
and  very  lame  of  one  foot.  The  private  secretary, 
to  whose  entrance  they  paid  no  regard,  could  not 
avoid  overhearing  a  part  of  their  conversation. 

"  To-day  or  never/*  said  the  lady.  "  Once  and 
for  all,  it  shall  be  done  to-day." 

''  To-day,  if  it  must  be,"  replied  the  brother,  with 
a  sigh.  "  But  it  is  a  false  step,  a  ruinous  step, 
Clara;  and  we  shall  live  to  repent  it  dismally." 

Lady  Vandeleur  looked  her  brother  steadily  and 
somewhat  strangely  in  the  face. 

"  You  forget,"  she  said ;  "  the  man  must  die  at 
last." 

"  Upon  my  word,  Clara,"  said  Pendragon,  "  I 
believe  you  are  the  most  heartless  rascal  in 
England." 

'  You  men,"  she  returned,  "  are  so  coarsely 
built,  that  you  can  never  appreciate  a  shade  of 
meaning.  You  are  yourselves  rapacious,  violent, 
immodest,  careless  of  distinction ;  and  yet  the  least 
thought  for  the  future  shocks  you  in  a  woman. 


iso     NEW    ARABIAN    NIGHTS 

I  have  no  patience  with  such  stuff.  You  would 
despise  in  a  common  banker  the  imbecility  that 
you  expect  to  find  in  us." 

"  You  are  very  likely  right,"  replied  her  brother ; 
"  you  were  always  cleverer  than  I.  And,  anyway, 
you  know  my  motto:  the  family  before  all." 

"  Yes,  Charlie,"  she  returned,  taking  his  hand 
in  hers,  "  I  know  your  motto  better  than  you  know 
it  yourself.  And  '  Clara  before  the  family ! '  Is 
not  that  the  second  part  of  it?  Indeed,  you  are 
the  best  of  brothers,  and  I  love  you  dearly." 

Mr.  Pendragon  got  up,  looking  a  little  confused 
by  these  family  endearments. 

"  I  had  better  not  be  seen,"  said  he.  "  I  under 
stand  my  part  to  a  miracle,  and  I  '11  keep  an  eye 
on  the  Tame  Cat." 

"  Do,"  she  replied.  "  He  is  an  abject  creature, 
and  might  ruin  all." 

She  kissed  the  tips  of  her  fingers  to  him  daintily ; 
and  the  brother  withdrew  by  the  boudoir  and  the 
back  stair. 

"  Harry,"  said  Lady  Vandeleur,  turning  towards 
the  secretary  as  soon  as  they  were  alone.  "  I  have 
a  commission  for  you  this  morning.  But  you  shall 
take  a  cab;  I  cannot  have  my  secretary  freckled." 

She  spoke  the  last  words  with  emphasis  and  a 
look  of  half-motherly  pride  that  caused  great  con 
tentment  to  poor  Harry ;  and  he  professed  himself 
charmed  to  find  an  opportunity  of  serving  her. 

"  It  is  another  of  our  great  secrets,"  she  went 
on,  archly,  "  and  no  one  must  know  of  it  but  my 
secretary  and  me.  Sir  Thomas  would  make  the 


NEW    ARABIAN    NIGHTS     in 

saddest  disturbance;  and  if  you  only  knew  how 
weary  I  am  of  these  scenes!  Oh,  Harry,  Harry, 
can  you  explain  to  me  what  makes  you  men  so 
violent  and  unjust?  But,  indeed,  I  know  you  can 
not  ;  you  are  the  only  man  in  the  world  who  knows 
nothing  of  these  shameful  passions;  you  are  so 
good,  Harry,  and  so  kind;  you,  at  least,  can  be  a 
woman's  friend;  and,  do  you  know?  I  think  you 
make  the  others  more  ugly  by  comparison/' 

"  It  is  you,"  said  Harry,  gallantly,  "  who  are  so 
kind  to  me.  You  treat  me  like " 

"  Like  a  mother,"  interposed  Lady  Vandeleur, 
"  I  try  to  be  a  mother  to  you.  Or  at  least,"  she 
corrected  herself  with  a  smile,  "  almost  a  mother. 
I  am  afraid  I  am  too  young  to  be  your  mother 
really.  Let  us  say  a  friend  —  a  dear  friend." 

She  paused  long  enough  to  let  her  words  take 
effect  in  Harry's  sentimental  quarters,  but  not  long 
enough  to  allow  him  a  reply. 

"  But  all  this  is  beside  our  purpose,"  she  re 
sumed.  '  You  will  find  a  bandbox  in  the  left-hand 
side  of  the  oak  wardrobe;  it  is  underneath  the 
pink  slip  that  I  wore  on  Wednesday  with  my 
Mechlin.  You  will  take  it  immediately  to  this 
address,"  and  she  gave  him  a  paper,  "  but  do 
not,  on  any  account,  let  it  out  of  your  hands  until 
you  have  received  a  receipt  written  by  myself, 
Do  you  understand?  Answer,  if  you  please  — 
answer!  This  is  extremely  important,  and  I  must 
ask  you  to  pay  some  attention." 

Harry  pacified  her  by  repeating  her  instructions 
perfectly ;  and  she  was  just  going  to  tell  him  more 


122     NEW    ARABIAN    NIGHTS 

when  General  Vandeleur  flung  into  the  apartment^ 
scarlet  with  anger,  and  holding  a  long  and  elabo 
rate  milliner's  bill  in  his  hand. 

"  Will  you  look  at  this,  madam  ? "  cried  he. 
"  Will  you  have  the  goodness  to  look  at  this 
document?  I  know  well  enough  you  married  me 
for  my  money,  and  I  hope  I  can  make  as  great 
allowance  as  any  other  man  in  the  service;  but, 
as  sure  as  God  made  me,  I  mean  to  put  a  period 
to  this  disreputable  prodigality." 

"  Mr.  Hartley/'  said  Lady  Vandeleur,  "  I  think 
you  understand  what  you  have  to  do.  May  I  ask 
you  to  see  to  it  at  once  ?  " 

"  Stop/'  said  the  General,  addressing  Harry, 
"  one  word  before  you  go."  And  then,  turning 
again  to  Lady  Vandeleur,  "  What  is  this  precious 
fellow's  errand?"  he  demanded.  "I  trust  him 
no  further  than  I  do  yourself,  let  me  tell  you.  If 
he  had  as  much  as  the  rudiments  of  honesty,  he 
would  scorn  to  stay  in  this  house;  and  what  he 
does  for  his  wages  is  a  mystery  to  all  the  world. 
What  is  his  errand,  Madam?  and  why  are  you 
hurrying  him  away  ?  " 

"  I  supposed  you  had  something  to  say  to  me  in 
private,"  replied  the  lady. 

"  You  spoke  about  an  errand,"  insisted  the 
General.  "  Do  not  attempt  to  deceive  me  in  my 
present  state  of  temper.  You  certainly  spoke  about 
an  errand." 

"  If  you  insist  on  making  your  servants  privy 
to  our  humiliating  dissensions,"  replied  Lady  Van- 
delcur,  "  perhaps  I  had  better  ask  Mr.  Hartlev  to 


NEW    ARABIAN    NIGHTS     123 

sit  down.  No  ?  "  she  continued ;  "  then  you  may 
go,  Mr.  Hartley.  I  trust  you  may  remember  all 
that  you  have  heard  in  this  room;  it  may  be  use 
ful  to  you." 

Harry  at  once  made  his  escape  from  the  draw 
ing-room  ;  and  as  he  ran  up-stairs  he  could  hear 
the  General's  voice  upraised  in  declamation,  and 
the  thin  tones  of  Lady  Vandeleur  planting  icy 
repartees  at  every  opening.  How  cordially  he 
admired  the  wife!  How  skilfully  she  could  evade 
an  awkward  question!  with  what  secure  effront 
ery  she  repeated  her  instructions  under  the  very 
guns  of  the  enemy!  and  on  the  other  hand,  how 
he  detested  the  husband! 

There  had  been  nothing  unfamiliar  in  the  morn 
ing's  events,  for  he  was  continually  in  the  habit  of 
serving  Lady  Vandeleur  on  secret  missions,  prin 
cipally  connected  with  millinery.  There  was  a 
skeleton  in  the  house,  as  he  well  knew.  The  bot 
tomless  extravagance  and  the  unknown  liabilities 
of  the  wife  had  long  since  swallowed  her  own 
fortune,  and  threatened  day  by  day  to  engulf  that 
of  the  husband.  Once  or  twice  in  every  year  ex 
posure  and  ruin  seemed  imminent,  and  Harry  kept 
trotting  round  to  all  sorts  of  furnishers'  shops, 
telling  small  fibs,  and  paying  small  advances  on 
the  gross  amount,  until  another  term  was  tided 
over,  and  the  lady  and  her  faithful  secretary 
breathed  again.  For  Harry,  in  a  double  capacity, 
was  heart  and  soul  upon  that  side  of  the  war: 
not  only  did  he  adore  Lady  Vandeleur  and  fear 
and  dislike  her  husband,  but  he  naturally  sympa- 


i24     NEW    ARABIAN    NIGHTS 

thised  with  the  love  of  finery,  and  his  own  single 
extravagance  was  at  the  tailor's. 

He  found  the  bandbox  where  it  had  been  de 
scribed,  arranged  his  toilet  with  care,  and  left  the 
house.  The  sun  shone  brightly;  the  distance  he 
had  to  travel  was  considerable,  and  he  remembered 
with  dismay  that  the  General's  sudden  irruption 
had  prevented  Lady  Vandeleur  from  giving  him 
money  for  a  cab.  On  this  sultry  day  there  was 
every  chance  that  his  complexion  would  suffer 
severely ;  and  to  walk  through  so  much  of  London 
with  a  bandbox  on  his  arm  was  a  humiliation 
almost  insupportable  to  a  youth  of  his  character. 
He  paused,  and  took  counsel  with  himself.  The 
Vandeleurs  lived  in  Eaton  Place;  his  destination 
was  near  Notting  Hill ;  plainly,  he  might  cross  the 
Park  by  keeping  well  in  the  open  and  avoiding 
populous  alleys;  and  he  thanked  his  stars  when 
he  reflected  that  it  was  still  comparatively  early 
in  the  day. 

Anxious  to  be  rid  of  his  incubus,  he  walked 
somewhat  faster  than  his  ordinary,  and  he  was 
already  some  way  through  Kensington  Gardens 
when,  in  a  solitary  spot  among  trees,  he  found 
himself  confronted  by  the  General. 

"  I  beg  your  pardon,  Sir  Thomas,"  observed 
Harry,  politely  falling  on  one  side;  for  the  other 
stood  directly  in  his  path. 

"  Where  are  you  going,  sir?  "  asked  the  General. 

"  I  am  taking  a  little  walk  among  the  trees," 
replied  the  lad. 

The  General  struck  the  bandbox  with  his  cane 


NEW    ARABIAN    NIGHTS     125 

"  With  that  thing?  "  he  cried;  "  you  lie,  sir,  and 
you  know  you  lie !  " 

"  Indeed,  Sir  Thomas,"  returned  Harry,  "  I  am 
not  accustomed  to  be  questioned  in  so  high  a  key." 

"  You  do  not  understand  your  position,"  said 
the  General.  '  You  are  my  servant,  and  a  servant 
of  whom  I  have  conceived  the  most  serious  suspi 
cions.  How  do  I  know  but  that  your  box  is  full 
of  teaspoons  ?  " 

"  It  contains  a  silk  hat  belonging  to  a  friend," 
said  Harry. 

"  Very  well,"  replied  General  Vandeleur.  "Then 
I  want  to  see  your  friend's  silk  hat.  I  have,"  he 
added,  grimly,  "  a  singular  curiosity  for  hats ;  and 
I  believe  you  know  me  to  be  somewhat  positive." 

"  I  beg  your  pardon,  Sir  Thomas,  I  am  exceed 
ingly  grieved,"  Harry  apologised;  "  but  indeed  this 
is  a  private  affair." 

The  General  caught  him  roughly  by  the  shoulder 
with  one  hand,  while  he  raised  his  cane  in  the  most 
menacing  manner  with  the  other.  Harry  gave  him 
self  up  for  lost;  but  at  the  same  moment  Heaven 
vouchsafed  him  an  unexpected  defender  in  the  per 
son  of  Charlie  Pendragon,  who  now  strode  for 
ward  from  behind  the  trees. 

"  Come,  come,  General,  hold  your  hand,"  said 
he,  "  this  is  neither  courteous  nor  manly." 

"  Aha !  "  cried  the  General,  wheeling  round  upon 
his  new  antagonist,  "  Mr.  Pendragon !  And  do 
you  suppose,  Mr.  Pendragon,  that  because  I  have 
had  the  misfortune  to  marry  your  sister,  I  shall 
suffer  myself  to  be  dogged  and  thwarted  by  a 


126     NEW    ARABIAN    NIGHTS 

discredited  and  bankrupt  libertine  like  you?  My 
acquaintance  with  Lady  Vandeleur,  sir,  has  taken 
away  all  my  appetite  for  the  other  members  of  her 
family." 

"  And  do  you  fancy,  General  Vandeleur,"  re 
torted  Charlie,  "  that  because  my  sister  has  had 
the  misfortune  to  marry  you,  she  there  and  then 
forfeited  her  rights  and  privileges  as  a  lady?  I 
own,  sir,  that  by  that  action  she  did  as  much  as 
anybody  could  to  derogate  from  her  position; 
but  to  me  she  is  still  a  Pendragon.  I  make  it  my 
business  to  protect  her  from  ungentlemanly  out 
rage,  and  if  you  were  ten  times  her  husband  I 
would  not  permit  her  liberty  to  be  restrained,  nor 
her  private  messenger  to  be  violently  arrested." 

"How  is  that,  Mr.  Hartley?"  interrogated  the 
General.  "  Mr.  Pendragon  is  of  my  opinion,  it 
appears.  He  too  suspects  that  Lady  Vandeleur 
has  something  to  do  with  your  friend's  silk  hat." 

Charlie  saw  that  he  had  committed  an  unpardon 
able  blunder,  which  he  hastened  to  repair. 

"  How,  sir  ?  "  he  cried ;  "  I  suspect,  do  you  say  ? 
I  suspect  nothing.  Only  where  I  find  strength 
abused  and  a  man  brutalising  his  inferiors,  I  take 
the  liberty  to  interfere." 

As  he  said  these  words  he  made  a  sign  to  Harry, 
which  the  latter  was  too  dull  or  too  much  troubled 
to  understand. 

"  In  what  way  am  I  to  construe  your  attitude, 
sir?"  demanded  Vandeleur. 

"  Why,  sir,  as  you  please,"  returned  Pendragon. 

The   General   once   more   raised   his   cane,    and 


NEW    ARABIAN    NIGHTS     127 

made  a  cut  for  Charlie's  head ;  but  the  latter,  lame 
foot  and  all,  evaded  the  blow  with  his  umbrella, 
ran  in,  and  immediately  closed  with  his  formidable 
adversary. 

"  Run,  Harry,  run !  "  he  cried ;  "  run,  you  dolt !  " 

Harry  stood  petrified  for  a  moment,  watching 
the  two  men  sway  together  in  this  fierce  embrace; 
then  he  turned  and  took  to  his  heels.  When  he 
cast  a  glance  over  his  shoulder  he  saw  the  General 
prostrate  under  Charlie's  knee,  but  still  making 
desperate  efforts  to  reverse  the  situation;  and  the 
Gardens  seemed  to  have  filled  with  people,  who 
were  running  from  all  directions  towards  the  scene 
of  fight.  This  spectacle  lent  the  secretary  wings; 
and  he  did  not  relax  his  pace  until  he  had  gained 
the  Bayswater  road,  and  plunged  at  random  into 
an  unfrequented  by-street. 

To  see  two  gentlemen  of  his  acquaintance  thus 
brutally  mauling  each  other  was  deeply  shocking 
to  Harry.  He  desired  to  forget  the  sight;  he 
desired,  above  all,  to  put  as  great  a  distance  as 
possible  between  himself  and  General  Vandeleur; 
and  in  his  eagerness  for  this  he  forgot  everything 
about  his  destination,  and  hurried  before  him  head 
long  and  trembling.  When  he  remembered  that 
Lady  Vandeleur  was  the  wife  of  one  and  sister 
of  the  other  of  these  gladiators,  his  heart  was 
touched  with  sympathy  for  a  woman  so  distress 
ingly  misplaced  in  life.  Even  his  own  situation 
in  the  General's  house  looked  hardly  so  pleasing 
as  usual  in  the  light  of  these  violent  transactions. 

He  had  walked  some  little  distance,  busied  with 


128     NEW    ARABIAN    NIGHTS 

these  meditations,  before  a  slight  collision  with 
another  passenger  reminded  him  of  the  bandbox 
on  his  arm. 

"  Heavens !  "  cried  he,  "  where  was  my  head  ? 
and  whither  have  I  wandered  ?  " 

Thereupon  he  consulted  the  envelope  which  Lady 
Vandeleur  had  given  him.  The  address  was  there, 
but  without  a  name.  Harry  was  simply  directed 
to  ask  for  "  the  gentleman  who  expected  a  parcel 
from  Lady  Vandeleur,"  and  if  he  were  not  at 
home  to  await  his  return.  The  gentleman,  added 
the  note,  should  present  a  receipt  in  the  handwrit 
ing  of  the  lady  herself.  All  this  seemed  mighty 
mysterious,  and  Harry  was  above  all  astonished 
at  the  omission  of  the  name  and  the  formality  of 
the  receipt.  He  had  thought  little  of  this  last 
when  he  heard  it  dropped  in  conversation;  but 
reading  it  in  cold  blood,  and  taking  it  in  connec 
tion  with  the  other  strange  particulars,  he  became 
convinced  that  he  was  engaged  in  perilous  affairs. 
For  half  a  moment  he  had  a  doubt  of  Lady  Van 
deleur  herself;  for  he  found  these  obscure  pro 
ceedings  somewhat  unworthy  of  so  high  a  lady, 
and  became  more  critical  when  her  secrets  were 
preserved  against  himself.  But  her  empire  over 
his  spirit  was  too  complete,  he  dismissed  his  sus 
picions,  and  blamed  himself  roundly  for  having 
so  much  as  entertained  them. 

In  one  thing,  however,  his  duty  and  interest,  his 
generosity  and  his  terrors,  coincided  —  to  get  rid 
of  the  bandbox  with  the  greatest  possible  despatch. 

He  accosted  the  first  policeman  and  courteously 


NEW    ARABIAN    NIGHTS     129 

inquired  his  way.  It  turned  out  that  he  was 
already  not  far  from  his  destination,  and  a  walk 
of  a  few  minutes  brought  him  to  a  small  house  in 
a  lane,  freshly  painted,  and  kept  with  the  most 
scrupulous  attention.  The  knocker  and  bell-pull 
were  highly  polished;  flowering  pot-herbs  gar 
nished  the  sills  of  the  different  windows;  and 
curtains  of  some  rich  material  concealed  the  in 
terior  from  the  eyes  of  curious  passengers.  The 
place  had  an  air  of  repose  and  secrecy ;  and  Harry 
was  so  far  caught  with  this  spirit  that  he  knocked 
with  more  than  usual  discretion,  and  was  more 
than  usually  careful  to  remove  all  impurity  from 
his  boots. 

A  servant-maid  of  some  personal  attractions 
immediately  opened  the  door,  and  seemed  to  re 
gard  the  secretary  with  no  unkind  eyes. 

"  This  is  the  parcel  from  Lady  Vandeleur,"  said 
Harry. 

"  I  know,"  replied  the  maid,  with  a  nod.  "  But 
the  gentleman  is  from  home.  Will  you  leave  it 
with  me?" 

"  I  cannot,"  answered  Harry.  "  I  am  directed 
not  to  part  with  it  but  upon  a  certain  condition, 
and  I  must  ask  you,  I  am  afraid,  to  let  me  wait." 

"  Well,"  said  she,  "  I  suppose  I  may  let  you 
wait.  I  am  lonely  enough,  I  can  tell  you,  and 
you  do  not  look  as  though  you  would  eat  a  girl. 
But  be  sure  and  do  not  ask  the  gentleman's  name, 
for  that  I  am  not  to  tell  you." 

"  Do  you  say  so  ?  "  cried  Harry.  "  Why,  how 
strange!  But  indeed  for  some  time  back  I  walk 

VOL.    III.  —  Q 


130     NEW    ARABIAN    NIGHTS 

* 

among  surprises.  One  question  I  think  I  may 
surely  ask  without  indiscretion:  Is  he  the  master 
of  this  house?  " 

"  He  is  a  lodger,  and  not  eight  days  old  at  that," 
returned  the  maid.  "  And  now  a  question  for  a 
question :  Do  you  know  Lady  Vandeleur  ?  " 

"  I  am  her  private  secretary,"  replied  Harry, 
with  a  glow  of  modest  pride. 

"  She  is  pretty,  is  she  not  ?  "  pursued  the  servant. 

"Oh,  beautiful!"  cried  Harry;  "wonderfully 
lovely,  and  not  less  good  and  kind !  " 

;<  You  look  kind  enough  yourself,"  she  retorted ; 
"  and  I  wager  you  are  worth  a  dozen  Lady 
Vandeleurs." 

Harry  was  properly  scandalised. 

"  I !  "  he  cried.    "  I  am  only  a  secretary !  " 

"Do  you  mean  that  for  me?"  said  the  girl. 
"  Because  I  am  only  a  housemaid,  if  you  please." 
And  then,  relenting  at  the  sight  of  Harry's  obvi 
ous  confusion,  "  I  know  you  mean  nothing  of  the 
sort,"  she  added ;  "  and  I  like  your  looks ;  but  I 
think  nothing  of  your  Lady  Vandeleur.  Oh,  these 
mistresses !  "  she  cried.  "  To  send  out  a  real 
gentleman  like  you  —  with  a  bandbox  —  in  broad 
day!" 

During  this  talk  they  had  remained  in  their 
original  positions  —  she  on  the  doorstep,  he  on 
the  sidewalk,  bareheaded  for  the  sake  of  coolness, 
and  with  the  bandbox  on  his  arm.  But  upon  this 
last  speech  Harry,  who  was  unable  to  support  such 
point-blank  compliments  to  his  appearance,  nor  the 
encouraging  look  with  which  they  were  accom- 


NEW    ARABIAN    NIGHTS     131 

panied,  began  to  change  his  attitude,  and  glance 
from  left  to  right  in  perturbation.  In  so  doing 
he  turned  his  face  towards  the  lower  end  of  the 
lane,  and  there,  to  his  indescribable  dismay,  his 
eyes  encountered  those  of  General  Vandeleur.  The 
General,  in  a  prodigious  fluster  of  heat,  hurry, 
and  indignation,  had  been  scouring  the  streets 
in  chase  of  his  brother-in-law;  but  so  soon  as  he 
caught  a  glimpse  of  the  delinquent  secretary  his 
purpose  changed,  his  anger  flowed  into  a  new 
channel,  and  he  turned  on  his  heel  and  came 
tearing  up  the  lane  with  truculent  gestures  and 
vociferations. 

Harry  made  but  one  bolt  of  it  into  the  house, 
driving  the  maid  before  him;  and  the  door  was 
slammed  in  his  pursuer's  countenance. 

"  Is  there  a  bar?  Will  it  lock?  "  asked  Harry, 
while  a  salvo  on  the  knocker  made  the  house  echo 
from  wall  to  wall. 

"  Why,  what  is  wrong  with  you  ?  "  asked  the 
maid.  "  Is  it  this  old  gentleman?" 

"  If  he  gets  hold  of  me,"  whispered  Harry,  "  I 
am  as  good  as  dead.  He  has  been  pursuing  me 
all  day,  carries  a  sword-stick,  and  is  an  Indian, 
military  officer." 

'*  These  are  fine  manners,"  cried  the  maid. 
"And  what,  if  you  please,  may  be  his  name?" 

"  It  is  the  General,  my  master,"  answered  Harry. 
"  He  is  after  this  bandbox." 

"  Did  not  I  tell  you  ?  "  cried  the  maid  in  triumph. 
"  I  told  you  I  thought  worse  than  nothing  of  your 
Lady  Vandeleur;  and  if  you  had  an  eye  in  your 


132     NEW    ARABIAN    NIGHTS 

head  you  might  see  what  she  is  for  yourself.  An 
ungrateful  minx,  I  will  be  bound  for  that !  " 

The  General  renewed  his  attack  upon  the 
knocker,  and  his  passion  growing  with  delay, 
began  to  kick  and  beat  upon  the  panels  of  the 
door. 

"  It  is  lucky,"  observed  the  girl,  "  that  I  am 
alone  in  the  house;  your  General  may  hammer 
until  he  is  weary,  and  there  is  none  to  open  for 
him.  Follow  me !  " 

So  saying,  she  led  Harry  into  the  kitchen,  where 
she  made  him  sit  down,  and  stood  by  him  herself 
in  an  affectionate  attitude,  with  a  hand  upon  his 
shoulder.  The  din  at  the  door,  so  far  from  abat 
ing,  continued  to  increase  in  volume,  and  at  each 
blow  the  unhappy  secretary  was  shaken  to  the 
heart. 

"  What  is  your  name?  "  asked  the  girl. 

"  Harry  Hartley/'  he  replied. 

"  Mine,"  she  went  on,  "  is  Prudence.  Do  you 
like  it?" 

"  Very  much,"  said  Harry.  "  But  hear  for  a 
moment  how  the  General  beats  upon  the  door.  He 
will  certainly  break  it  in,  and  then,  in  heaven's 
name,  what  have  I  to  look  for  but  death?" 

"  You  put  yourself  very  much  about  with  no 
occasion,"  answered  Prudence.  "  Let  your  Gen 
eral  knock,  he  will  do  no  more  than  blister  his 
hands.  Do  you  think  I  would  keep  you  here  if  I 
were  not  sure  to  save  you?  Oh,  no,  I  am  a  good 
friend  to  those  that  please  me!  and  we  have  a 
back  door  upon  another  lane.  But,"  she  added, 


NEW    ARABIAN    NIGHTS     133 

checking  him,  for  he  had  got  upon  his  feet  imme 
diately  on  this  welcome  news,  "  but  I  will  not 
show  where  it  is  unless  you  kiss  me.  Will  you, 
Harry?" 

"  That  I  will/'  he  cried,  remembering  his  gal 
lantry,  "  not  for  your  back  door,  but  because  you 
are  good  and  pretty." 

And  he  administered  two  or  three  cordial  salutes, 
which  were  returned  to  him  in  kind. 

Then  Prudence  led  him  to  the  back  gate,  and 
put  her  hand  upon  the  key. 

"  Will  you  come  and  see  me?"  she  asked. 

"  I  will  indeed,"  said  Harry.  "  Do  not  I  owe 
you  my  life?  " 

"  And  now,"  she  added,  opening  the  door,  "  run 
as  hard  as  you  can,  for  I  shall  let  in  the  General." 

Harry  scarcely  required  this  advice;  fear  had 
him  by  the  forelock;  and  he  addressed  himself 
diligently  to  flight.  A  few  steps,  and  he  believed 
he  would  return  to  Lady  Vandeleur  in  honour  and 
safety.  But  these  few  steps  had  not  been  taken 
before  he  heard  a  man's  voice,  hailing  him  by 
name  with  many  execrations,  and,  looking  over 
his  shoulder,  he  beheld  Charlie  Pendragon  wav 
ing  him  with  both  arms  to  return.  The  shock  of 
this  new  incident  was  so  sudden  and  profound, 
and  Harry  was  already  worked  into  so  high  a 
state  of  nervous  tension,  that  he  could  think  of 
nothing  better  than  to  accelerate  his  pace,  and  con 
tinue  running.  He  should  certainly  have  remem 
bered  the  scene  in  Kensington  Gardens ;  he  should 
certainly  have  concluded  that,  where  the  General 


134     NEW    ARABIAN    NIGHTS 

was  his  enemy,  Charlie  Pendragon  could  be  no 
other  than  a  friend.  But  such  was  the  fever  and 
perturbation  of  his  mind  that  he  was  struck  by 
none  of  these  considerations,  and  only  continued 
to  run  the  faster  up  the  lane. 

Charlie,  by  the  sound  of  his  voice  and  the  vile 
terms  that  he  hurled  after  the  secretary,  was  ob 
viously  beside  himself  with  rage.  He,  too,  ran  his 
very  best;  but,  try  as  he  might,  the  physical 
advantages  were  not  upon  his  side,  and  his  out 
cries  and  the  fall  of  his  lame  foot  on  the  macadam 
began  to  fall  farther  and  farther  into  the  wake. 

Harry's  hopes  began  once  more  to  arise.  The 
lane  was  both  steep  and  narrow,  but  it  was  ex 
ceedingly  solitary,  bordered  on  either  hand  by 
garden  walls,  overhung  with  foliage;  and,  for  as 
far  as  the  fugitive  could  see  in  front  of  him,  there 
was  neither  a  creature  moving  nor  an  open  door. 
Providence,  weary  of  persecution,  was  now  offer 
ing  him  an  open  field  for  his  escape. 

Alas !  as  he  came  abreast  of  a  garden  door  under 
a  tuft  of  chestnuts,  it  was  suddenly  drawn  back, 
and  he  could  see  inside,  upon  a  garden  path,  the 
figure  of  a  butcher's  boy  with  his  tray  upon  his 
arm.  He  had  hardly  recognised  the  fact  before 
he  was  some  steps  beyond  upon  the  other  side. 
But  the  fellow  had  had  time  to  observe  him;  he 
was  evidently  much  surprised  to  see  a  gentleman 
go  by  at  so  unusual  a  pace;  and  he  came  out  into 
the  lane  and  began  to  call  after  Harry  with  shouts 
of  ironical  encouragement. 

His   appearance   gave   a   new   idea   to    Charlie 


NEW    ARABIAN    NIGHTS     135 

Pendragon,  who,  although  he  was  now  sadly  out 
of  breath,  once  more  upraised  his  voice. 

"Stop  thief!"  he  cried. 

And  immediately  the  butcher's  boy  had  taken 
up  the  cry  and  joined  in  the  pursuit. 

This  was  a  bitter  moment  for  the  hunted  secre 
tary.  It  is  true  that  his  terror  enabled  him  once 
more  to  improve  his  pace,  and  gain  with  every 
step  on  his  pursuers;  but  he  was  well  aware  that 
he  was  near  the  end  of  his  resources,  and  should 
he  meet  any  one  coming  the  other  way,  his  pre 
dicament  in  the  narrow  lane  would  be  desperate 
indeed. 

"  I  must  find  a  place  of  concealment,"  he 
thought,  "  and  that  within  the  next  few  seconds, 
or  all  is  over  with  me  in  this  world." 

Scarcely  had  the  thought  crossed  his  mind  than 
the  lane  took  a  sudden  turning;  and  he  found 
himself  hidden  from  his  enemies.  There  are  cir 
cumstances  in  which  even  the  least  energetic  of 
mankind  learn  to  behave  with  vigour  and  deci 
sion  ;  and  the  more  cautious  forget  their  prudence 
and  embrace  foolhardy  resolutions.  This  was  one 
of  those  occasions  for  Harry  Hartley;  and  those 
who  knew  him  best  would  have  been  the  most 
astonished  at  the  lad's  audacity.  He  stopped  dead, 
flung  the  bandbox  over  a  garden  wall,  and  leap 
ing  upward  with  incredible  agility  and  seizing  the 
copestone  with  his  hands,  he  tumbled  headlong 
after  it  into  the  garden. 

He  came  to  himself  a  moment  afterwards,  seated 
in  a  border  of  small  rosebushes.  His  hands  and 


136     NEW    ARABIAN    NIGHTS 

knees  were  cut  and  bleeding,  for  the  wall  had  been 
protected  against  such  an  escalade  by  a  liberal  pro 
vision  of  old  bottles;  and  he  was  conscious  of  a 
general  dislocation  and  a  painful  swimming  in  the 
head.  Facing  him  across  the  garden,  which  was 
in  admirable  order,  and  set  with  flowers  of  the 
most  delicious  perfume,  he  beheld  the  back  of  a 
house.  It  was  of  considerable  extent,  and  plainly 
habitable;  but,  in  odd  contrast  to  the  grounds,  it 
was  crazy,  ill-kept,  and  of  a  mean  appearance.  On 
all  other  sides  the  circuit  of  the  garden  wall  ap 
peared  unbroken. 

He  took  in  these  features  of  the  scene  with 
mechanical  glances,  but  his  mind  was  still  unable 
to  piece  together  or  draw  a  rational  conclusion 
from  what  he  saw.  And  when  he  heard  foot 
steps  advancing  on  the  gravel,  although  he  turned 
his  eyes  in  that  direction,  it  was  with  no  thought 
either  for  defence  or  flight. 

The  new-comer  was  a  large,  coarse,  and  very 
sordid  personage,  in  gardening  clothes,  and  with 
a  watering-pot  in  his  left  hand.  One  less  con 
fused  would  have  been  affected  with  some  alarm 
at  the  sight  of  this  man's  huge  proportions  and 
black  and  lowering  eyes.  But  Harry  was  too 
gravely  shaken  by  his  fall  to  be  so  much  as  terri 
fied;  and  if  he  was  unable  to  divert  his  glances 
from  the  gardener,  he  remained  absolutely  passive, 
and  suffered  him  to  draw  near,  to  take  him  by  the 
shoulder,  and  to  plant  him  roughly  on  his  feet, 
without  a  motion  of  resistance. 

For  a  moment  the  two  stared  into  each  other's 


NEW    ARABIAN    NIGHTS     137 

eyes,  Harry  fascinated,  the  man  filled  with  wrath 
and  a  cruel,  sneering  humour. 

"  Who  are  you?  "  he  demanded  at  last.  "  Who 
are  you  to  come  flying  over  my  wall  and  break 
my  Gloire  de  Dijons?  What  is  your  name?"  he 
added,  shaking  him ;  "  and  what  may  be  your  busi 
ness  here  ?  " 

Harry  could  not  as  much  as  proffer  a  word  in 
explanation. 

But  just  at  that  moment  Pendragon  and  the 
butcher's  boy  went  clumping  past,  and  the  sound 
of  their  feet  and  their  hoarse  cries  echoed  loudly 
in  the  narrow  lane.  The  gardener  had  received 
his  answer;  and  he  looked  down  into  Harry's 
face  with  an  obnoxious  smile. 

"A  thief!"  he  said.  "Upon  my  word,  and  a 
very  good  thing  you  must  make  of  it;  for  I  sec 
you  dressed  like  a  gentleman  from  top  to  toe. 
Are  you  not  ashamed  to  go  about  the  world  in 
such  a  trim,  with  honest  folk,  I  dare  say,  glad  to 
buy  your  cast-off  finery  second-hand?  Speak  up, 
you  dog,"  the  man  went  on ;  "  you  can  understand 
English,  I  suppose;  and  I  mean  to  have  a  bit  of 
talk  with  you  before  I  march  you  to  the  station." 

"  Indeed,  sir,"  said  Harry,  "  this  is  all  a  dreadful 
misconception;  and  if  you  will  go  with  me  to  Sir 
Thomas  Vandeleur's  in  Eaton  Place,  I  can  prom 
ise  that  all  will  be  made  plain.  The  most  upright 
person,  as  I  now  perceive,  can  be  led  into  sus 
picious  positions." 

"  My  little  man,"  replied  the  gardener,  "  I  will 
go  with  you  no  farther  than  the  station-house  in 


138     NEW    ARABIAN    NIGHTS 

the  next  street.  The  inspector,  no  doubt,  will  be 
glad  to  take  a  stroll  with  you  as  far  as  Eaton 
Place,  and  have  a  bit  of  afternoon  tea  with  your 
great  acquaintances.  Or  would  you  prefer  to  go 
direct  to  the  Home  Secretary?  Sir  Thomas  Van- 
deleur,  indeed!  Perhaps  you  think  I  don't  know 
a  gentleman  when  I  see  one,  from  a  common  run- 
the-hedge  like  you?  Clothes  or  no  clothes,  I  can 
read  you  like  a  book.  Here  is  a  shirt  that  maybe 
cost  as  much  as  my  Sunday  hat;  and  that  coat,  I 
take  it,  has  never  seen  the  inside  of  Rag-fair,  and 

then  your  boots " 

The  man,  whose  eyes  had  fallen  upon  the 
ground,  stopped  short  in  his  insulting  commen 
tary,  and  remained  for  a  moment  looking  intently 
upon  something  at  his  feet.  When  he  spoke  his 
voice  was  strangely  altered. 

"  What,  in  God's  name,"  said  he,  "  is  all  this?  " 
Harry,  following  the  direction  of  the  man's 
eyes,  beheld  a  spectacle  that  struck  him  dumb  with 
terror  and  amazement.  In  his  fall  he  had  de 
scended  vertically  upon  the  bandbox  and  burst  it 
open  from  end  to  end ;  thence  a  great  treasure  of 
diamonds  had  poured  forth,  and  now  lay  abroad, 
part  trodden  in  the  soil,  part  scattered  on  the  sur 
face  in  regal  and  glittering  profusion.  There  was 
a  magnificent  coronet  which  he  had  often  admired 
on  Lady  Vandeleur ;  there  were  rings  and  brooches, 
ear-drops  and  bracelets,  and  even  unset  brilliants 
rolling  here  and  there  among  the  rosebushes  like 
drops  of  morning  dew.  A  princely  fortune  lay 
between  the  two  men  upon  the  ground  —  a  for- 


NEW    ARABIAN    NIGHTS     139 

tune  in  the  most  inviting,  solid,  and  durable  form, 
capable  of  being  carried  in  an  apron,  beautiful  in 
itself,  and  scattering  the  sunlight  in  a  million  rain 
bow  flashes. 

"  Good  God!  "  said  Harry,  "  I  am  lost!  " 

His  mind  raced  backward  into  the  past  with 
the  incalculable  velocity  of  thought,  and  he  began 
to  comprehend  his  day's  adventures,  to  conceive 
them  as  a  whole,  and  to  recognise  the  sad  im 
broglio  in  which  his  own  character  and  fortunes 
had  become  involved.  He  looked  round  him,  as 
if  for  help,  but  he  was  alone  in  the  garden,  with 
his  scattered  diamonds  and  his  redoubtable  inter 
locutor;  and  when  he  gave  ear,  there  was  no 
sound  but  the  rustle  of  the  leaves  and  the  hurried 
pulsation  of  his  heart.  It  was  little  wonder  if 
the  young  man  felt  himself  a  little  deserted  by  his 
spirits,  and  with  a  broken  voice  repeated  his  last 
ejaculation 

"I  am  lost!" 

The  gardener  peered  in  all  directions  with  an 
air  of  guilt;  but  there  was  no  face  at  any  of  the 
windows,  and  he  seemed  to  breathe  again. 

''Pick  up  a  heart/'  he  said,  "you  fool!  The 
worst  of  it  is  done.  Why  could  you  not  say  at 
first  there  was  enough  for  two  ?  Two !  "  he  re 
peated,  "  aye,  and  for  two  hundred !  But  come 
away  from  here,  where  we  may  be  observed ;  and, 
for  the  love  of  wisdom,  straighten  out  your  hat  and 
brush  your  clothes.  You  could  not  travel  two 
steps  the  figure  of  fun  you  look  just  now." 

Whilje  Harry  mechanically  adopted  these  sug- 


i4o     NEW    ARABIAN    NIGHTS 

gestions,  the  gardener,  getting  upon  his  knees, 
hastily  drew  together  the  scattered  jewels  and  re 
turned  them  to  the  bandbox.  The  touch  of  these 
costly  crystals  sent  a  shiver  of  emotion  through 
the  man's  stalwart  frame;  his  face  was  trans 
figured,  and  his  eyes  shone  with  concupiscence; 
indeed  it  seemed  as  if  he  luxuriously  prolonged 
his  occupation,  and  dallied  with  every  diamond 
that  he  handled.  At  last,  however,  it  was  done; 
and,  concealing  the  bandbox  in  his  smock,  the 
gardener  beckoned  to  Harry  and  preceded  him  in 
the  direction  of  the  house. 

Near  the  door  they  were  met  by  a.  young  man 
evidently  in  holy  orders,  dark  and  strikingly  hand 
some,  with  a  look  of  mingled  weakness  and  reso 
lution,  and  very  neatly  attired  after  the  manner 
of  his  caste.  The  gardener  was  plainly  annoyed 
by  this  encounter ;  but  he  put  as  good  a  face  upon 
it  as  he  could,  and  accosted  the  clergyman  with 
an  obsequious  and  smiling  air. 

"  Here  is  a  fine  afternoon,  Mr.  Rolles,"  said 
he :  "a  fine  afternoon,  as  sure  as  God  made  it ! 
And  here  is  a  young  friend  of  mine  who  had  a 
fancy  to  look  at  my  roses.  I  took  the  liberty  to 
bring  him  in,  for  I  thought  none  of  the  lodgers 
would  object." 

"  Speaking  for  myself,"  replied  the  Reverend 
Mr.  Rolles,  "  I  do  not ;  nor  do  I  fancy  any  of  the 
rest  of  us  wrould  be  more  difficult  upon  so  small  a 
matter.  The  garden  is  your  own,  Mr.  Raeburn; 
we  must  none  of  us  forget  that;  and  because  you 
give  us  liberty  to  walk  there  we  should  be  indeed 


NEW    ARABIAN    NIGHTS     141 

ungracious  if  we  so  far  presumed  upon  your  polite 
ness  as  to  interfere  with  the  convenience  of  your 
friends.  But,  on  second  thoughts/'  he  added,  "  I 
believe  that  this  gentleman  and  I  have  met  before. 
Mr.  Hartley,  I  think.  I  regret  to  observe  that 
you  have  had  a  fall." 

And  he  offered  his  hand. 

A  sort  of  maiden  dignity  and  a  desire  to  delay 
as  long  as  possible  the  necessity  for  explanation 
moved  Harry  to  refuse  this  chance  of  help,  and  to 
deny  his  own  identity.  He  chose  the  tender  mercies 
of  the  gardener,  who  was  at  least  unknown  to  him, 
rather  than  the  curiosity  and  perhaps  the  doubts 
of  an  acquaintance. 

"  I  fear  there  is  some  mistake,"  said  he.  "  My 
name  is  Thomlinson  and  I  am  a  friend  of  Mr. 
Raeburn's." 

"Indeed?"  said  Mr.  Rolles.  "The  likeness  is 
amazing." 

Mr.  Raeburn,  who  had  been  upon  thorns 
throughout  this  colloquy,  now  felt  it  high  time 
to  bring  it  to  a  period. 

"  I  wish  you  a  pleasant  saunter,  sir,"  said  he. 

And  with  that  he  dragged  Harry  after  him  into 
the  house,  and  then  into  a  chamber  on  the  garden. 
His  first  care  was  to  draw  down  the  blind,  for 
Mr.  Rolles  still  remained  where  they  had  left  him, 
in  an  attitude  of  perplexity  and  thought.  Then 
he  emptied  the  broken  bandbox  on  the  table,  and 
stood  before  the  treasure,  thus  fully  displayed,  with 
an  expression  of  rapturous  greed,  and  rubbing  his 
hands  upon  his  thighs.  For  Harry,  the  sight  of 


i42     NEW    ARABIAN    NIGHTS 

the  man's  face  under  the  influence  of  this  base 
emotion,  added  another  pang  to  those  he  was 
already  suffering.  It  seemed  incredible  that,  from 
his  life  of  pure  and  delicate  trifling,  he  should  be 
plunged  in  a  breath  among  sordid  and  criminal 
relations.  He  could  reproach  his  conscience  with 
no  sinful  act;  and  yet  he  was  now  suffering  the 
punishment  of  sin  in  its  most  acute  and  cruel 
forms  —  the  dread  of  punishment,  the  suspicions 
of  the  good,  and  the  companionship  and  contam 
ination  of  vile  and  brutal  natures.  He  felt  he  could 
lay  his  life  down  with  gladness  to  escape  from  the 
room  and  the  society  of  Mr.  Raeburn. 

"  And  now,"  said  the  latter,  after  he  had  sepa 
rated  the  jewels  into  two  nearly  equal  parts,  and 
drawn  one  of  them  nearer  to  himself;  "  and  now," 
said  he,  "  everything  in  this  world  has  to  be  paid 
for,  and  some  things  sweetly.  You  must  know, 
Mr.  Hartley,  if  such  be  your  name,  that  I  am  a 
man  of  a  very  easy  temper,  and  good  nature  has 
been  my  stumbling  block  from  first  to  last.  I  could 
pocket  the  whole  of  these  pretty  pebbles,  if  I  chose, 
and  I  should  like  to  see  you  dare  to  say  a  word; 
but  I  think  I  must  have  taken  a  liking  to  you ;  for 
I  declare  I  have  not  the  heart  to  shave  you  so 
close.  So,  do  you  see,  in  pure  kind  feeling,  I  pro 
pose  that  we  divide;  and  these,"  indicating  the  two 
heaps,  "  are  the  proportions  that  seem  to  me  just 
and  friendly.  Do  you  see  any  objection,  Mr. 
Hartley,  may  I  ask?  I  am  not  the  man  to  stick 
upon  a  brooch." 

"  But,   sir,"   cried   Harry.    "  what  you  propose 


NEW    ARABIAN    NIGHTS     143 

to  me  is  impossible.  The  jewels  are  not  mine, 
and  I  cannot  share  what  is  another's,  no  matter 
with  whom,  nor  in  what  proportions." 

"  They  are  not  yours,  are  they  not  ?  "  returned 
Raeburn.  "  And  you  could  not  share  them  with 
anybody,  could  n't  you  ?  Well  now,  that  is  what 
I  call  a  pity ;  for  here  I  am  obliged  to  take  you  to 
the  station.  The  police  —  think  of  that,"  he  con 
tinued  ;  "  think  of  the  disgrace  for  your  respect 
able  parents;  think,"  he  went  on,  taking  Harry 
by  the  wrist ;  "  think  of  the  Colonies  and  the  Day 
of  Judgment." 

"  I  cannot  help  it,"  wailed  Harry.  "  It  is  not 
my  fault.  You  will  not  come  with  me  to  Eaton 
Place." 

"  No,"  replied  the  man,  "  I  will  not,  that  is  cer 
tain.  And  I  mean  to  divide  these  playthings  with 
you  here." 

And  so  saying  he  applied  a  sudden  and  severe 
torsion  to  the  lad's  wrist. 

Harry  could  not  suppress  a  scream,  and  the  per 
spiration  burst  forth  upon  his  face.  Perhaps  pain 
and  terror  quickened  his  intelligence,  but  certainly 
at  that  moment  the  whole  business  flashed  across 
him  in  another  light;  and  he  saw  that  there  was 
nothing  for  it  but  to  accede  to  the  ruffian's  pro 
posal,  and  trust  to  find  the  house  and  force  him 
to  disgorge,  under  more  favourable  circumstances, 
and  when  he  himself  was  clear  from  all  suspicion. 

"  I  agree,"  he  said. 

"  There  is  a  lamb,"  sneered  the  gardener.  "  I 
thought  you  would  recognise  your  interests  at  last. 


144     NEW    ARABIAN    NIGHTS 

This  bandbox,"  he  continued,  "  I  shall  burn  with 
my  rubbish;  it  is  a  thing  that  curious  folk  might 
recognise ;  and  as  for  you,  scrape  up  your  gaieties 
and  put  them  in  your  pocket." 

Harry  proceeded  to  obey,  Raeburn  watching 
him,  and  every  now  and  again,  his  greed  rekindled 
by  some  bright  scintillation,  abstracting  another 
jewel  from  the  secretary's  share,  and  adding  it  to 
his  own. 

When  this  was  finished,  both  proceeded  to  the 
front  door,  which  Raeburn  cautiously  opened  to 
observe  the  street.  This  was  apparently  clear  of 
passengers;  for  he  suddenly  seized  Harry  by  the 
nape  of  the  neck,  and  holding  his  face  downward 
so  that  he  could  see  nothing  but  the  roadway  and 
the  doorsteps  of  the  houses,  pushed  him  violently 
before  him  down  one  street  and  up  another  for  the 
space  of  perhaps  a  minute  and  a  half.  Harry  had 
counted  three  corners  before  the  bully  relaxed  his 
grasp,  and  crying,  "  Now  be  off  with  you!  "  sent 
the  lad  flying  head-foremost  with  a  well-directed 
and  athletic  kick. 

When  Harry  gathered  himself  up,  half -stunned 
and  bleeding  freely  at  the  nose,  Mr.  Raeburn  had 
entirely  disappeared.  For  the  first  time,  anger  and 
pain  so  completely  overcame  the  lad's  spirits  that 
he  burst  into  a  fit  of  tears  and  remained  sobbing 
in  the  middle  of  the  road. 

After  he  had  thus  somewhat  assuaged  his  emo 
tion,  he  began  to  look  about  him  and  read  the 
names  of  the  streets  at  whose  intersection  he  had 
been  deserted  by  the  gardener.  He  was  still  in  an 


NEW    ARABIAN    NIGHTS     145 

unfrequented  portion  of  West  London,  among  vil 
las  and  large  gardens ;  but  he  could  see  some  per 
sons  at  a  window  who  had  evidently  witnessed  his 
misfortune;  and  almost  immediately  after  a  ser 
vant  came  running  from  the  house  and  offered  him 
a  glass  of  water.  At  the  same  time,  a  dirty  rogue, 
who  had  been  slouching  some\vhere  in  the  neigh 
bourhood,  drew  near  him  from  the  other  side. 

"  Poor  fellow,"  said  the  maid,  "  how  vilely  you 
have  been  handled,  to  be  sure!  Why,  your  knees 
are  all  cut,  and  your  clothes  ruined !  Do  you  know 
the  wretch  who  used  you  so?" 

"  That  I  do !  "  cried  Harry,  who  was  somewhat 
refreshed  by  the  water ;  "  and  shall  run  him  home 
in  spite  of  his  precautions.  He  shall  pay  dearly 
for  this  day's  work,  I  promise  you." 

"  You  had  better  come  into  the  house  and  have 
yourself  washed  and  brushed,"  continued  the  maid. 
"  My  mistress  will  make  you  welcome,  never  fear. 
And  see,  I  will  pick  up  your  hat.  Why,  love  of 
mercy !  "  she  screamed,  "  if  you  have  not  dropped 
diamonds  all  over  the  street !  " 

Such  was  the  case;  a  good  half  of  what  re 
mained  to  him  after  the  depredations  of  Mr.  Rae- 
burn  had  been  shaken  out  of  his  pockets  by  the 
summersault,  and  once  more  lay  glittering  on  the 
ground.  He  blessed  his  fortune  that  the  maid  had 
been  so  quick  of  eye ;  "  there  is  nothing  so  bad  but 
it  might  be  worse,"  thought  he;  and  the  recovery 
of  these  few  seemed  to  him  almost  as  great  an 
affair  as  the  loss  of  all  the  rest.  But,  alas!  as  he 
stooped  to  pick  up  his  treasures  the  loiterer  made 

VOL.    III. IO 


146     NEW    ARABIAN    NIGHTS 

a  rapid  onslaught,  overset  both  Harry  and  the 
maid  with  a  movement  of  his  arms,  swept  up  a 
double  handful  of  the  diamonds,  and  made  off 
along  the  street  with  an  amazing  swiftness. 

Harry,  as  soon  as  he  could  get  upon  his  feet, 
gave  chase  to  the  miscreant  with  many  cries,  but 
the  latter  was  too  fleet  of  foot,  and  probably  too 
well  acquainted  with  the  locality;  for  turn  where 
the  pursuer  would,  he  could  find  no  traces  of  the 
fugitive. 

In  the  deepest  despondency  Harry  revisited  the 
scene  of  his  mishap,  where  the  maid,  who  was  still 
waiting,  very  honestly  returned  him  his  hat  and 
the  remainder  of  the  fallen  diamonds.  Harry 
thanked  her  from  his  heart,  and  being  now  in  no 
humour  for  economy,  made  his  way  to  the  nearest 
cabstand  and  set  off  for  Eaton  Place  by  coach. 

The  house,  on  his  arrival,  seemed  in  some  con 
fusion,  as  if  a  catastrophe  had  happened  in  the 
family;  and  the  servants  clustered  together  in  the 
hall,  and  were  unable,  or  perhaps  not  altogether 
anxious,  to  suppress  their  merriment  at  the  tatter 
demalion  figure  of  the  secretary.  He  passed  them 
with  as  good  an  air  of  dignity  as  he  could  assume, 
and  made  directly  for  the  boudoir.  When  he 
opened  the  door  an  astonishing  and  even  menac 
ing  spectacle  presented  itself  to  his  eyes;  for  he 
beheld  the  General  and  his  wife  and,  of  all  people, 
Charlie  Pendragon,  closeted  together  and  speaking 
with  earnestness  and  gravity  on  some  important 
subject.  Harry  saw  at  once  that  there  was  little 
left  for  him  to  explain  —  plenary  confession  had 


NEW    ARABIAN    NIGHTS     147 

plainly  been  made  to  the  General  of  the  intended 
fraud  upon  his  pocket,  and  the  unfortunate  mis 
carriage  of  the  scheme;  and  they  had  all  made 
common  cause  against  a  common  danger. 

"  Thank  Heaven !  "  cried  Lady  Vandeleur,  "  here 
he  is !  The  bandbox,  Harry  —  the  bandbox !  " 

But  Harry  stood  before  them  silent  and  down 
cast. 

"Speak!"  she  cried.  "Speak!  Where  is  the 
bandbox?" 

And  the  men,  with  threatening  gestures,  re 
peated  the  demand. 

Harry  drew  a  handful  of  jewels  from  his  pocket. 
He  was  very  white. 

1  This  is  all  that  remains,"  said  he.  "  I  declare 
before  Heaven  it  was  through  no  fault  of  mine; 
and  if  you  will  have  patience,  although  some  are 
lost,  I  am  afraid,  for  ever,  others,  I  am  sure,  may 
be  still  recovered !  "  „ 

"Alas!"  cried  Lady  Vandeleur,  "all  our  dia 
monds  are  gone,  and  I  owe  ninety  thousand  pounds 
for  dress !  " 

"  Madam,"  said  the  General,  "  you  might  have 
paved  the  gutter  with  your  own  trash;  you  might 
have  made  debts  to  fifty  times  the  sum  you  men 
tion;  you  might  have  robbed  me  of  my  mother's 
coronet  and  rings ;  and  Nature  might  have  still  so 
far  prevailed  that  I  could  have  forgiven  you  at  last. 
But,  madam,  you  have  taken  the  Rajah's  Diamond 
-the  Eye  of  Light,  as  the  Orientals  poetically 
termed  it — the  Pride  of  Kashgar !  You  have  taken 
from  me  the  Rajah's  Diamond,"  he  cried,  raising 


148     NEW    ARABIAN    NIGHTS 

his  hands,  "  and  all,  madam,  all  is  at  an  end  be 
tween  us !  " 

"  Believe  me,  General  Vandeleur,"  she  replied, 
"  that  is  one  of  the  most  agreeable  speeches  that 
ever  I  heard  from  your  lips;  and  since  we  are  to 
be  ruined  I  could  almost  welcome  the  change,  if 
it  delivers  me  from  you.  You  have  told  me  often 
enough  that  I  married  you  for  your  money;  let 
me  tell  you  now  that  I  always  bitterly  repented 
the  bargain;  and  if  you  were  still  marriageable, 
and  had  a  diamond  bigger  than  your  head,  I 
should  counsel  even  my  maid  against  a  union  so 
uninviting  and  disastrous.  As  for  you,  Mr.  Hart 
ley,"  she  continued,  turning  on  the  secretary,  "  you 
have  sufficiently  exhibited  your  valuable  qualities 
in  this  house;  we  are  now  persuaded  that  you 
equally  lack  manhood,  sense  and  self-respect;  and 
I  can  see  only  one  course  open  for  you  —  to  with 
draw  instanter,  and,  if  possible,  return  no  more. 
For  your  wages  you  may  rank  as  a  creditor  in 
my  late  husband's  bankruptcy." 

Harry  had  scarcely  comprehended  this  insulting 
address  before  the  General  was  down  upon  him 
with  another. 

"  And  in  the  meantime,"  said  that  personage, 
"  follow  me  before  the  nearest  Inspector  of  Police. 
You  may  impose  upon  a  simple-minded  soldier, 
sir,  but  the  eye  of  the  law  will  read  your  disrepu 
table  secret.  If  I  must  spend  my  old  age  in  pov 
erty  through  your  underhand  intriguing  with  my 
wife,  I  mean  at  least  that  you  shall  not  remain 
unpunished  for  your  pains;  arid  God,  sir,  will 


NEW    ARABIAN    NIGHTS     149 

deny  me  a  very  considerable  satisfaction  if  you 
do  not  pick  oakum  from  now  until  your  dying 
day." 

With  that  the  General  dragged  Harry  from  the 
apartment,  and  hurried  him  down-stairs  and  along 
the  street  to  the  police-station  of  the  district. 

Here  (says  my  Arabian  author)  ended  this  de 
plorable  business  of  the  bandbox.  But  to  the  unfor 
tunate  Secretary  the  whole  affair  was  the  beginning 
of  a  new  and  manlier  life.  The  police  were  easily 
persuaded  of  his  innocence;  and,  after  he  had  given 
what  help  he  could  in  the  subsequent  investigations, 
he  was  even  complimented  by  one  of  the  chiefs  of 
the  detective  department  on  the  probity  and  sim 
plicity  of  his  behaviour.  Several  persons  interested 
themselves  in  one  so  unfortunate;  and  soon  after 
he  inherited  a  sum  of  money  from  a  maiden  aunt 
in  Worcestershire.  With  this  he  married  Prudence, 
and  set  sail  for  Bendigo,  or  according  to  another 
account,  for  Trincomalee,  exceedingly  content,  and 
with  the  best  of  prospects. 


STORY   OF   THE   YOUNG    MAN   IN    HOLY 
ORDERS 

THE  Reverend  Mr.  Simon  Rolles  had  dis 
tinguished  himself  in  the  Moral  Sciences, 
and  was  more  than  usually  proficient  in 
the  study  of  Divinity.  His  essay  "  On  the  Chris 
tian  Doctrine  of  the  Social  Obligations  "  obtained 
for  him,  at  the  moment  of  its  production,  a  certain 
celebrity  in  the  University  of  Oxford;  and  it  was 
understood  in  clerical  and  learned  circles  that  young 
Mr.  Rolles  had  in  contemplation  a  considerable 
work  —  a  folio,  it  was  said  —  on  the  authority  of 
the  Fathers  of  the  Church.  These  attainments, 
these  ambitious  designs,  however,  were  far  from 
helping  him  to  any  preferment;  and  still  he  was 
in  quest  of  his  first  curacy  when  a  chance  ramble 
in  that  part  of  London,  the  peaceful  and  rich  as 
pect  of  the  garden,  a  desire  for  solitude  and  study, 
and  the  cheapness  of  the  lodging,  led  him  to  take 
up  his  abode  with  Mr.  Raeburn,  the  nurseryman 
of  Stockdove  Lane. 

It  was  his  habit  every  afternoon,  after  he  had 
worked  seven  or  eight  hours  on  St.  Ambrose  or 
St.  Chrysostom,  to  walk  for  awhile  in  meditation 
among  the  roses.  And  this  was  usually  one  of 
the  most  productive  moments  of  his  day.  But  even 
a  sincere  appetite  for  thought,  and  the  excitement 


NEW    ARABIAN    NIGHTS     151 

of  grave  problems  awaiting  solution,  are  not  always 
sufficient  to  preserve  the  mind  of  the  philosopher 
against  the  petty  shocks  and  contacts  of  the  world. 
And  when  Mr.  Rolles  found  General  Vandeleur's 
secretary,  ragged  and  bleeding,  in  the  company  of 
the  landlord ;  when  he  saw  both  change  colour  and 
seek  to  avoid  his  questions;  and,  above  all,  when 
the  former  denied  his  own  identity  with  the  most 
unmoved  assurance,  he  speedily  forgot  the  Saints 
and  Fathers  in  the  vulgar  interest  of  curiosity. 

"  I  cannot  be  mistaken,"  thought  he.  "  That  is 
Mr.  Hartley  beyond  a  doubt.  How  comes  he  in 
such  a  pickle?  why  does  he  deny  his  name?  and 
what  can  be  his  business  with  that  black-looking 
ruffian,  my  landlord  ?  " 

As  he  was  thus  reflecting,  another  peculiar  cir 
cumstance  attracted  his  attention.  The  face  of 
Mr.  Raeburn  appeared  at  a  low  window  next  the 
door ;  and,  as  chance  directed,  his  eyes  met  those  of 
Mr.  Rolles.  The  nurseryman  seemed  disconcerted, 
and  even  alarmed ;  and  immediately  after  the  blind 
of  the  apartment  was  pulled  sharply  down. 

"This  may  all  be  very  well,"  reflected  Mr. 
Rolles ;  "  it  may  be  all  excellently  well ;  but  I 
confess  freely  that  I  do  not  think  so.  Suspicious, 
underhand,  untruthful,  fearful  of  observation  —  I 
believe  upon  my  soul,"  he  thought,  "  the  pair  are 
plotting  some  disgraceful  action." 

The  detective  that  there  is  in  all  of  us  awoke  and 
became  clamant  in  the  bosom  of  Mr.  Rolles;  and 
with  a  brisk,  eager  step,  that  bore  no  resemblance 
to  his  usual  gait,  he  proceeded  to  make  the  circuit 


152     NEW    ARABIAN    NIGHTS 

of  the  garden.  When  he  came  to  the  scene  of 
Harry's  escalade,  his  eye  was  at  once  arrested  by 
a  broken  rosebud  and  marks  of  trampling  on  the 
mould.  He  looked  up,  and  saw  scratches  on  the 
brick,  and  a  rag  of  trouser  floating  from  a  broken 
bottle.  This,  then,  \vas  the  mode  of  entrance 
chosen  by  Mr.  Raeburn's  particular  friend !  It 
was  thus  that  General  Vandeleur's  secretary  came 
to  admire  a  flower-garden !  The  young  clergy 
man  whistled  softly  to  himself  as  he  stooped  to 
examine  the  ground.  He  could  make  out  where 
Harry  had  landed  from  his  perilous  leap;  he  rec 
ognised  the  flat  foot  of  Mr.  Raeburn  where  it  had 
sunk  deeply  in  the  soil  as  he  pulled  up  the  secre 
tary  by  the  collar;  nay,  on  a  closer  inspection,  he 
seemed  to  distinguish  the  marks  of  groping  fingers, 
as  though  something  had  been  spilt  abroad  and 
eagerly  collected. 

"  Upon  my  word,"  he  thought,  "  the  thing  grows 
vastly  interesting." 

And  just  then  he  caught  sight  of  something 
almost  entirely  buried  in  the  earth.  In  an  instant 
he  had  disinterred  a  dainty  morocco  case,  orna 
mented  and  clasped  in  gilt.  It  had  been  trodden 
heavily  underfoot,  and  thus  escaped  the  hurried 
search  of  Mr.  Raeburn.  Mr.  Rolles  opened  the 
case,  and  drew  a  long  breath  of  almost  horrified 
astonishment ;  for  there  lay  before  him,  in  a  cradle 
of  green  velvet,  a  diamond  of  prodigious  magni 
tude  and  of  the  finest  water.  It  was  of  the  bigness 
of  a  duck's  egg;  beautifully  shaped,  and  without 
a  flaw ;  and  as  the  sun  shone  upon  it,  it  gave  forth 


NEW    ARABIAN    NIGHTS     153 

a  lustre  like  that  of  electricity,  and  seemed  to  burn 
in  his  hand  with  a  thousand  internal  fires. 

He  knew  little  of  precious  stones;  but  the 
Rajah's  Diamond  was  a  wonder  that  explained 
itself;  a  village  child,  if  he  found  it,  would  run 
screaming  for  the  nearest  cottage;  and  a  savage 
would  prostrate  himself  in  adoration  before  so 
imposing  a  fetish.  The  beauty  of  the  stone  flat 
tered  the  young  clergyman's  eyes;  the  thought  of 
its  incalculable  value  overpowered  his  intellect.  He 
knew  that  what  he  held  in  his  hand  was  worth 
more  than  many  years'  purchase  of  an  archiepis- 
copal  see;  that  it  would  build  cathedrals  more 
stately  than  Ely  or  Cologne ;  that  he  who  possessed 
it  was  set  free  for  ever  from  the  primal  curse,  and 
might  follow  his  own  inclinations  without  concern 
or  hurry,  without  let  or  hindrance.  And  as  he 
suddenly  turned  it,  the  rays  leaped  forth  again 
with  renewed  brilliancy,  and  seemed  to  pierce  his 
very  heart. 

Decisive  actions  are  often  taken  in  a  moment 
and  without  any  conscious  deliverance  from  the 
rational  parts  of  man.  So  it  was  now  with  Mr. 
Rolles.  He  glanced  hurriedly  round,  beheld,  like 
Mr.  Raeburn  before  him,  nothing  but  the  sunlit 
flower-garden,  the  tall  tree-tops,  and  the  house 
with  blinded  windows;  and  in  a  trice  he  had  shut 
the  case,  thrust  it  into  his  pocket,  and  was  hasten 
ing  to  his  study  with  the  speed  of  guilt. 

The  Reverend  Simon  Rolles  had  stolen  the 
Rajah's  Diamond. 

Early  in  the  afternoon  the  police  arrived  with 


154     NEW    ARABIAN    NIGHTS 

Harry  Hartley.  The  nurseryman,  who  was  beside 
himself  with  terror,  readily  discovered  his  hoard; 
and  the  jewels  were  identified  and  inventoried  in 
the  presence  of  the  secretary.  As  for  Mr.  Rolles, 
he  showed  himself  in  a  most  obliging  temper,  com 
municated  what  he  knew  with  freedom,  and  pro 
fessed  regret  that  he  could  do  no  more  to  help  the 
officers  in  their  duty. 

"  Still,"  he  added,  "  I  suppose  your  business  is 
nearly  at  an  end." 

"  By  no  means,"  replied  the  man  from  Scotland 
Yard;  and  he  narrated  the  second  robbery  of 
which  Harry  had  been  the  immediate  victim,  and 
gave  the  young  clergyman  a  description  of  the 
more  important  jewels  that  were  still  not  found, 
dilating  particularly  on  the  Rajah's  Diamond. 

"  It  must  be  worth  a  fortune,"  observed  Mr. 
Rolles. 

*  Ten  fortunes  —  twenty  fortunes,"  cried  the 
officer. 

'  The  more  it  is  worth,"  remarked  Simon, 
shrewdly,  "  the  more  difficult  it  must  be  to  sell. 
Such  a  thing  has  a  physiognomy  not  to  be  dis 
guised,  and  I  should  fancy  a  man  might  as  easily 
negotiate  St.  Paul's  Cathedral." 

"O,  truly!"  said  the  officer;  "but  if  the  thief 
be  a  man  of  any  intelligence,  he  will  cut  it  into 
three  or  four,  and  there  will  be  still  enough  to 
make  him  rich." 

"  Thank  you,"  said  the  clergyman.  "  You  can 
not  imagine  how  much  your  conversation  interests 


NEW    ARABIAN    NIGHTS     155 

Whereupon  the  functionary  admitted  that  they 
knew  many  strange  things  in  his  profession,  and 
immediately  after  took  his  leave. 

Mr.  Rolles  regained  his  apartment.  It  seemed 
smaller  and  barer  than  usual ;  the  materials  for  his 
great  work  had  never  presented  so  little  interest; 
and  he  looked  upon  his  library  with  the  eye  of 
scorn.  He  took  down,  volume  by  volume,  several 
Fathers  of  the  Church,  and  glanced  them  through ; 
but  they  contained  nothing  to  his  purpose. 

"  These  old  gentlemen,"  thought  he,  "  are  no 
doubt  very  valuable  writers,  but  they  seem  to  me 
conspicuously  ignorant  of  life.  Here  am  I,  with 
learning  enough  to  be  a  Bishop,  and  I  positively 
do  not  know  how  to  dispose  of  a  stolen  diamond. 
I  glean  a  hint  from  a  common  policeman,  and,  with 
all  my  folios,  I  cannot  so  much  as  put  it  into  exe 
cution.  This  inspires  me  with  very  low  ideas  of 
University  training." 

Herewith  he  kicked  over  his  book-shelf  and, 
putting  on  his  hat,  hastened  from  the  house  to  the 
club  of  which  he  was  a  member.  In  such  a  place 
of  mundane  resort  he  hoped  to  find  some  man  of 
good  counsel  and  a  shrewd  experience  in  life.  In 
the  reading-room  he  saw  many  of  the  country 
clergy  and  an  Archdeacon;  there  were  three  jour 
nalists  and  a  writer  upon  the  Higher  Metaphysic, 
playing  pool ;  and  at  dinner  only  the  raff  of  ordi 
nary  club  frequenters  showed  their  commonplace 
and  obliterated  countenances.  None  of  these, 
thought  Mr.  Rolles,  would  know  more  on  danger 
ous  topics  than  he  knew  himself;  none  of  them 


156     NEW    ARABIAN    NIGHTS 

were  fit  to  give  him  guidance  in  his  present  strait 
At  length,  in  the  smoking-room,  up  many  weary 
stairs,  he  hit  upon  a  gentleman  of  somewhat  portly 
build  and  dressed  with  conspicuous  plainness.  He 
was  smoking  a  cigar  and  reading  the  Fortnightly 
Review;  his  face  was  singularly  free  from  all  sign 
of  preoccupation  or  fatigue;  and  there  was  some 
thing  in  his  air  which  seemed  to  invite  confidence 
and  to  expect  submission.  The  more  the  young 
clergyman  scrutinised  his  features,  the  more  he 
was  convinced  that  he  had  fallen  on  one  capable 
of  giving  pertinent  advice. 

"  Sir,"  said  he,  "  you  will  excuse  my  abruptness ; 
but  I  judge  you  from  your  appearance  to  be  pre 
eminently  a  man  of  the  world." 

"  I  have  indeed  considerable  claims  to  that  dis 
tinction,"  replied  the  stranger,  laying  aside  his 
magazine  with  a  look  of  mingled  amusement  and 
surprise. 

"  I,  sir,"  continued  the  Curate,  "  am  a  recluse, 
a  student,  a  creature  of  ink-bottles  and  patristic 
folios.  A  recent  event  has  brought  my  folly  vividly 
before  my  eyes,  and  I  desire  to  instruct  myself 
in  life.  By  life,"  he  added,  "  I  do  not  mean 
Thackeray's  novels;  but  the  crimes  and  secret 
possibilities  of  our  society,  and  the  principles  of 
wise  conduct  among  exceptional  events.  I  am 
a  patient  reader;  can  the  thing  be  learnt  in 
books?" 

"  You  put  me  in  a  difficulty,"  said  the  stranger. 
"  I  confess  I  have  no  great  notion  of  the  use 
of  books,  except  to  amuse  a  railway  journey; 


NEW    ARABIAN    NIGHTS     157 

although,  I  believe,  there  are  some  very  exact 
treatises  on  astronomy,  the  use  of  the  globes, 
agriculture,  and  the  art  of  making  paper-flowers. 
Upon  the  less  apparent  provinces  of  life  I  fear 
you  will  find  nothing  truthful.  Yet  stay,"  he 
added,  "have  you  read  Gaboriau?" 

Mr.  Rolles  admitted  he  had  never  even  heard  the 
name. 

"  You  may  gather  some  notions  from  Gaboriau," 
resumed  the  stranger.  "  He  is  at  least  suggestive; 
and  as  he  is  an  author  much  studied  by  Prince 
Bismarck,  you  will,  at  the  worst,  lose  your  time 
in  good  society." 

"  Sir,"  said  the  Curate,  "  I  am  infinitely  obliged 
by  your  politeness." 

"  You  have  already  more  than  repaid  me,"  re 
turned  the  other. 

"How?"  inquired  Simon. 

"  By  the  novelty  of  your  request,"  replied  the 
gentleman ;  and  with  a  polite  gesture,  as  though 
to  ask  permission,  he  resumed  the  study  of  the 
Fortnightly  Review. 

On  his  way  home  Mr.  Rolles  purchased  a  work 
on  precious  stones  and  several  of  Gaboriau's  novels. 
These  last  he  eagerly  skimmed  until  an  advanced 
hour  in  the  morning ;  but  although  they  introduced 
him  to  many  new  ideas,  he  could  nowhere  discover 
what  to  do  with  a  stolen  diamond.  He  was  an 
noyed,  moreover,  to  find  the  information  scattered 
amongst  romantic  story-telling,  instead  of  soberly 
set  forth  after  the  manner  of  a  manual ;  and  he 
concluded  that,  even  if  the  writer  had  thought 


158     NEW    ARABIAN    NIGHTS 

much  upon  these  subjects,  he  was  totally  lacking 
in  educational  method.  For  the  character  and  at 
tainments  of  Lecoq,  however,  he  was  unable  to 
contain  his  admiration. 

"  He  was  truly  a  great  creature,"  ruminated  Mr. 
Rolles.  "  He  knew  the  world  as  I  know  Paley's 
Evidences.  There  was  nothing  that  he  could  not 
carry  to  a  termination  with  his  own  hand,  and 
against  the  largest  odds.  Heavens !  "  he  broke  out 
suddenly,  "  is  not  this  the  lesson  ?  Must  I  not 
learn  to  cut  diamonds  for  myself  ?  " 

It  seemed  to  him  as  if  he  had  sailed  at  once  out 
of  his  perplexities;  he  remembered  that  he  knew 
a  jeweller,  one  B.  Macculloch,  in  Edinburgh,  who 
would  be  glad  to  put  him  in  the  way  of  the  neces 
sary  training;  a  few  months,  perhaps  a  few  years, 
of  sordid  toil,  and  he  would  be  sufficiently  expert 
to  divide  and  sufficiently  cunning  to  dispose  with 
advantage  of  the  Rajah's  Diamond.  That  done, 
he  might  return  to  pursue  his  researches  at  leisure, 
a  wealthy  and  luxurious  student,  envied  and  re 
spected  by  all.  Golden  visions  attended  him 
through  his  slumber,  and  he  awoke  refreshed  and 
light-hearted  with  the  morning  sun. 

Mr.  Raeburn's  house  was  on  that  day  to  be 
closed  by  the  police,  and  this  afforded  a  pretext 
for  his  departure.  He  cheerfully  prepared  his 
baggage,  transported  it  to  King's  Cross,  where  he 
left  it  in  the  cloak-room,  and  returned  to  the  club 
to  while  away  the  afternoon  and  dine. 

"  If  you  dine  here  to-day,  Rolles,"  observed  an 
acquaintance,  "  you  may  see  two  of  the  most  re- 


NEW    ARABIAN    NIGHTS     159 

markable  men  in  England  —  Prince  Florizel  of 
Bohemia,  and  old  Jack  Vandeleur." 

"  I  have  heard  of  the  Prince,"  replied  Mr. 
Rolles ;  "  and  General  Vandeleur  I  have  even  met 
in  society." 

"  General  Vandeleur  is  an  ass !  "  returned  the 
other.  "  This  is  his  brother  John,  the  biggest 
adventurer,  the  best  judge  of  precious  stones,  and 
one  of  the  most  acute  diplomatists  in  Europe. 
Have  you  never  heard  of  his  duel  with  the  Due 
de  Val  d'Orge  ?  of  his  exploits  and  atrocities  when 
he  was  Dictator  of  Paraguay?  of  his  dexterity 
in  recovering  Sir  Samuel  Levy's  jewelry?  nor  of 
his  services  in  the  Indian  Mutiny  —  services  by 
which  the  Government  profited,  but  which  the 
Government  dared  not  recognise?  You  make  me 
wonder  what  we  mean  by  fame,  or  even  by  in 
famy;  for  Jack  Vandeleur  has  prodigious  claims 
to  both.  Run  down-stairs,"  he  continued,  "  take 
a  table  near  them,  and  keep  your  ears  open. 
You  will  hear  some  strange  talk,  or  I  am  much 
misled." 

"  But  how  shall  I  know  them  ?  "  inquired  the 
clergyman. 

"  Know  them !  "  cried  his  friend ;  "  why,  the 
Prince  is  the  finest  gentleman  in  Europe,  the  only 
living  creature  who  looks  like  a  king;  and  as  for 
Jack  Vandeleur,  if  you  can  imagine  Ulysses  at 
seventy  years  of  age,  and  with  a  sabre-cut  across 
his  face,  you  have  the  man  before  you!  Know 
them,  indeed !  Why,  you  could  pick  either  of  them 
out  of  a  Derby  day !  " 


160     NEW    ARABIAN    NIGHTS 

Rolles  eagerly  hurried  to  the  dining-room.  It 
was  as  his  friend  had  asserted;  it  was  impossible 
to  mistake  the  pair  in  question.  Old  John  Van- 
deleur  was  of  remarkable  force  of  body,  and  ob 
viously  broken  to  the  most  difficult  exercises.  He 
had  neither  the  carriage  of  a  swordsman,  nor  of 
a  sailor,  nor  yet  of  one  much  inured  to  the  saddle ; 
but  something  made  up  of  all  these,  and  the  result 
and  expression  of  many  different  habits  and  dex 
terities.  His  features  were  bold  and  aquiline;  his 
expression  arrogant  and  predatory;  his  whole  ap 
pearance  that  of  a  swift,  violent,  unscrupulous  man 
of  action ;  and  his  copious  white  hair  and  the  deep 
sabre-cut  that  traversed  his  nose  and  temple  added 
a  note  of  savagery  to  a  head  already  remarkable 
and  menacing  in  itself. 

In  his  companion,  the  Prince  of  Bohemia,  Mr. 
Rolles  was  astonished  to  recognise  the  gentleman 
who  had  recommended  him  the  study  of  Gaboriau. 
Doubtless  Prince  Florizel,  who  rarely  visited  the 
club,  of  which,  as  of  most  others,  he  was  an  hon 
orary  member,  had  been  waiting  for  John  Vande- 
leur  when  Simon  accosted  him  on  the  previous 
evening. 

The  other  diners  had  modestly  retired  into  the 
angles  of  the  room,  and  left  the  distinguished  pair 
in  a  certain  isolation,  but  the  young  clergyman  was 
unrestrained  by  any  sentiment  of  awe,  and,  march 
ing  up,  took  his  place  at  the  nearest  table. 

The  conversation  was,  indeed,  new  to  the  stu 
dent's  ears.  The  ex-Dictator  of  Paraguay  stated 
many  extraordinary  experiences  in  different  quar- 


NEW    ARABIAN    NIGHTS     161 

ters  of  the  world ;  and  the  Prince  supplied  a  com 
mentary  which,  to  a  man  of  thought,  was  even 
more  interesting  than  the  events  themselves.  Two 
forms  of  experience  were  thus  brought  together 
and  laid  before  the  young  clergyman;  and  he  did 
not  know  which  to  admire  the  most  —  the  desper 
ate  actor  or  the  skilled  expert  in  life ;  the  man  who 
spoke  boldly  of  his  own  deeds  and  perils,  or  the 
man  who  seemed,  like  a  god,  to  know  all  things 
and  to  have  suffered  nothing.  The  manner  of  each 
aptly  fitted  with  his  part  in  the  discourse.  The 
Dictator  indulged  in  brutalities  alike  of  speech  and 
gesture ;  his  hand  opened  and  shut  and  fell  roughly 
on  the  table;  and  his  voice  was  loud  and  heady. 
The  Prince,  on  the  other  hand,  seemed  the  very 
type  of  urbane  docility  and  quiet;  the  least  move 
ment,  the  least  inflection,  had  with  him  a  weightier 
significance  than  all  the  shouts  and  pantomime  of 
his  companion;  and  if  ever,  as  must  frequently 
have  been  the  case,  he  described  some  experience 
personal  to  himself,  it  was  so  aptly  dissimulated 
as  to  pass  unnoticed  with  the  rest. 

At  length  the  talk  wandered  on  to  the  late  rob 
beries  and  the  Rajah's  Diamond. 

"  That  diamond  would  be  better  in  the  sea," 
observed  Prince  Florizel. 

"  As  a  Vandeleur,"  replied  the  Dictator,  "  your 
Highness  may  imagine  my  dissent/' 

"  I  speak  on  grounds  of  public  policy,"  pursued 
the  Prince.  "  Jewels  so  valuable  should  be  re 
served  for  the  collection  of  a  Prince  or  the  treas 
ury  of  a  great  nation.  To  hand  them  about  among 

VOL.   III.  —  II 


162     NEW    ARABIAN    NIGHTS 

the  common  sort  of  men  is  to  set  a  price  on  Vir 
tue's  head;  and  if  the  Rajah  of  Kashgar  —  a 
Prince,  I  understand,  of  great  enlightenment  — 
desired  vengeance  upon  the  men  of  Europe,  he 
could  hardly  have  gone  more  efficaciously  about 
his  purpose  than  by  sending  us  this  apple  of  dis 
cord.  There  is  no  honesty  too  robust  for  such  a 
trial.  I  myself,  who  have  many  duties  and  privi 
leges  of  my  own  —  I  myself,  Mr.  Vandeleur,  could 
scarcely  handle  the  intoxicating  crystal  and  be  safe. 
As  for  you,  who  are  a  diamond  hunter  by  taste 
and  profession,  I  do  not  believe  there  is  a  crime 
in  the  calendar  you  would  not  perpetrate  —  I  do 
not  believe  you  have  a  friend  in  the  world  whom 
you  would  not  eagerly  betray  —  I  do  not  know  if 
you  have  a  family,  but  if  you  have  I  declare  you 
would  sacrifice  your  children  —  and  all  this  for 
what?  Not  to  be  richer,  nor  to  have  more  com 
forts  or  more  respect,  but  simply  to  call  this  dia 
mond  yours  for  a  year  or  two  until  you  die,  and 
now  and  again  to  open  a  safe  and  look  at  it  as 
one  looks  at  a  picture." 

"  It  is  true,"  replied  Vandeleur.  "  I  have  hunted 
most  things,  from  men  and  women  down  to  mos- 
quitos;  I  have  dived  for  coral;  I  have  followed 
both  whales  and  tigers;  and  a  diamond  is  the 
tallest  quarry  of  the  lot.  It  has  beauty  and  worth ; 
it  alone  can  properly  reward  the  ardours  of  the 
chase.  At  this  moment,  as  your  Highness  may 
fancy,  I  am  upon  the  trail;  I  have  a  sure  knack, 
a  wide  experience;  I  know  every  stone  of  price 
in  my  brother's  collection  as  a  shepherd  knows  his 


NEW    ARABIAN    NIGHTS     163 

sheep;  and  I  wish  I  may  die  if  I  do  not  recover 
them  every  one !  " 

"  Sir  Thomas  Vandeleur  will  have  great  cause 
to  thank  you,"  said  the  Prince. 

"  I  am  not  so  sure,"  returned  the  Dictator,  with 
a  laugh.  "  One  of  the  Vandeleurs  will.  Thomas 
or  John  —  Peter  or  Paul  —  we  are  all  apostles." 

"  I  did  not  catch  your  observation,"  said  the 
Prince  with  some  disgust. 

And  at  the  same  moment  the  waiter  informed 
Mr.  Vandeleur  that  his  cab  was  at  the  door. 

Mr.  Rolles  glanced  at  the  clock,  and  saw  that  he 
also  must  be  moving;  and  the  coincidence  struck 
him  sharply  and  unpleasantly,  for  he  desired  to 
see  no  more  of  the  diamond  hunter. 

Much  study  having  somewhat  shaken  the  young 
man's  nerves,  he  was  in  the  habit  of  travelling  in 
the  most  luxurious  manner;  and  for  the  present 
journey  he  had  taken  a  sofa  in  the  sleeping- 
carriage. 

'  You  will  be  very  comfortable,"  said  the  guard ; 
"  there  is  no  one  in  your  compartment,  and  only 
one  old  gentleman  in  the  other  end." 

It  was  close  upon  the  hour,  and  the  tickets  were 
being  examined,  when  Mr.  Rolles  beheld  this  other 
fellow-passenger  ushered  by  several  porters  into  his 
place;  certainly,  there  was  not  another  man  in  the 
world  whom  he  would  not  have  preferred  —  for  it 
was  old  John  Vandeleur,  the  ex-Dictator. 

The  sleeping-carriages  on  the  Great  Northern 
line  were  divided  into  three  compartments  —  one 
at  each  end  for  travellers,  and  one  in  the  centre 


164     NEW    ARABIAN    NIGHTS 

fitted  with  the  conveniences  of  a  lavatory.  A  door 
running  in  grooves  separated  each  of  the  others 
from  the  lavatory;  but  as  there  were  neither  bolts 
nor  locks,  the  whole  suite  was  practically  common 
ground. 

When  Mr.  Rolles  had  studied  his  position,  he 
perceived  himself  without  defence.  If  the  Dictator 
chose  to  pay  him  a  visit  in  the  course  of  the  night, 
he  could  do  no  less  than  receive  it;  he  had  no 
means  of  fortification,  and  lay  open  to  attack  as 
if  he  had  been  lying  in  the  fields.  This  situation 
caused  him  some  agony  of  mind.  He  recalled  with 
alarm  the  boastful  statements  of  his  fellow-traveller 
across  the  dining-table,  and  the  professions  of  im 
morality  which  he  had  heard  him  offering  to  the 
disgusted  Prince.  Some  persons,  he  remembered 
to  have  read,  are  endowed  with  a  singular  quick 
ness  of  perception  for  the  neighbourhood  of 
precious  metals;  through  walls  and  even  at  con 
siderable  distances  they  are  said  to  divine  the 
presence  of  gold.  Might  it  not  be  the  same  with 
diamonds?  he  wondered;  and  if  so,  who  \vas 
more  likely  to  enjoy  this  transcendental  sense 
than  the  person  who  gloried  in  the  appellation  of 
the  Diamond  Hunter?  From  such  a  man  he  rec 
ognised  that  he  had  everything  to  fear,  and  longed 
eagerly  for  the  arrival  of  the  day. 

In  the  meantime  he  neglected  no  precaution, 
concealed  his  diamond  in  the  most  internal  pocket 
of  a  system  of  great-coats,  and  devoutly  recom 
mended  himself  to  the  care  of  Providence. 

The   train   pursued    its    usual    even    and    rapid 


NEW    ARABIAN    NIGHTS     165 

course;  and  nearly  half  the  journey  had  been  ac 
complished  before  slumber  began  to  triumph  over 
uneasiness  in  the  breast  of  Mr.  Rolles.  For  some 
time  he  resisted  its  influence;  but  it  grew  upon 
him  more  and  more,  and  a  little  before  York  he 
was  fain  to  stretch  himself  upon  one  of  the 
couches  and  suffer  his  eyes  to  close;  and  almost 
at  the  same  instant  consciousness  deserted  the 
young  clergyman.  His  last  thought  was  of  his 
terrifying  neighbour. 

When  he  awoke  it  was  still  pitch  dark,  except 
for  the  flicker  of  the  veiled  lamp;  and  the  con 
tinual  roaring  and  oscillation  testified  to  the  un- 
relaxed  velocity  of  the  train.  He  sat  upright  in 
a  panic,  for  he  had  been  tormented  by  the  most 
uneasy  dreams;  it  was  some  seconds  before  he 
recovered  his  self-command;  and  even  after  he 
had  resumed  a  recumbent  attitude  sleep  continued 
to  flee  him,  and  he  lay  awake  with  his  train  in  a 
state  of  violent  agitation,  and  his  eyes  fixed  upon 
the  lavatory  door.  He  pulled  his  clerical  felt  hat 
over  his  brow  still  farther  to  shield  him  from  the 
light;  and  he  adopted  the  usual  expedients,  such 
as  counting  a  thousand  or  banishing  thought,  by 
which  experienced  invalids  are  accustomed  to  woo 
the  approach  of  sleep.  In  the  case  of  Mr.  Rolles 
they  proved  one  and  all  vain ;  he  was  harassed  by 
a  dozen  different  anxieties  —  the  old  man  in  the 
other  end  of  the  carriage  haunted  him  in  the 
most  alarming  shapes ;  and  in  whatever  attitude 
he  chose  to  lie  the  diamond  in  his  pocket  occa 
sioned  him  a  sensible  physical  distress.  It  burned, 


166     NEW    ARABIAN    NIGHTS 

it  was  too  large,  it  bruised  his  ribs;  and  there 
were  infinitesimal  fractions  of  a  second  in  which 
he  had  half  a  mind  to  throw  it  from  the  window. 

While  he  was  thus  lying,  a  strange  incident  took 
place. 

The  sliding-door  into  the  lavatory  stirred  a  little, 
and  then  a  little  more,  and  was  finally  drawn  back 
for  the  space  of  about  twenty  inches.  The  lamp  in 
the  lavatory  was  unshaded,  and  in  the  lighted  aper 
ture  thus  disclosed,  Mr.  Rolles  could  see  the  head 
of  Mr.  Vandeleur  in  an  attitude  of  deep  attention. 
He  was  conscious  that  the  gaze  of  the  Dictator 
rested  intently  on  his  own  face;  and  the  instinct 
of  self-preservation  moved  him  to  hold  his  breath, 
to  refrain  from  the  least  movement,  and  keeping 
his  eyes  lowered,  to  watch  his  visitor  from  under 
neath  the  lashes.  After  about  a  moment,  the 
head  was  withdrawn  and  the  door  of  the  lavatory 
replaced. 

The  Dictator  had  not  come  to  attack,  but  to 
observe ;  his  action  was  not  that  of  a  man  threaten 
ing  another,  but  that  of  a  man  who  was  himself 
threatened;  if  Mr.  Rolles  was  afraid  of  him,  it 
appeared  that  he,  in  his  turn,  was  not  quite  easy 
on  the  score  of  Mr.  Rolles.  He  had  come,  it  would 
seem,  to  make  sure  that  his  only  fellow-traveller 
was  asleep;  and,  when  satisfied  on  that  point,  he 
had  at  once  withdrawn. 

The  clergyman  leaped  to  his  feet.  The  extreme 
of  terror  had  given  place  to  a  reaction  of  foolhardy 
daring.  He  reflected  that  the  rattle  of  the  flying 
train  concealed  all  other  sounds,  and  determined, 


NEW    ARABIAN    NIGHTS     167 

come  what  might,  to  return  the  visit  he  had  just 
received.  Divesting  himself  of  his  cloak,  which 
might  have  interfered  with  the  freedom  of  his 
action,  he  entered  the  lavatory  and  paused  to  listen. 
As  he  had  expected,  there  was  nothing  to  be  heard 
above  the  roar  of  the  train's  progress;  and  laying 
his  hand  on  the  door  at  the  farther  side,  he  pro 
ceeded  cautiously  to  draw  it  back  for  about  six 
inches.  Then  he  stopped,  and  could  not  contain 
an  ejaculation  of  surprise. 

John  Vandeleur  wore  a  fur  travelling-cap  with 
lappets  to  protect  his  ears ;  and  this  may  have  com 
bined  with  the  sound  of  the  express  to  keep  him 
in  ignorance  of  what  was  going  forward.  It  is 
certain,  at  least,  that  he  did  not  raise  his  head,  but 
continued  without  interruption  to  pursue  his  strange 
employment.  Between  his  feet  stood  an  open  hat- 
box  ;  in  one  hand  he  held  the  sleeve  of  his  sealskin 
great-coat;  in  the  other  a  formidable  knife,  with 
which  he  had  just  split  up  the  lining  of  the  sleeve. 
Mr.  Rolles  had  read  of  persons  carrying  money  in 
a  belt;  and  as  he  had  no  acquaintance  with  any 
but  cricket-belts,  he  had  never  been  able  rightly  to 
conceive  how  this  was  managed,  But  here  was  a 
stranger  thing  before  his  eyes;  for  John  Vande 
leur,  it  appeared,  carried  diamonds  in  the  lining  of 
his  sleeve ;  and  even  as  the  young  clergyman  gazed, 
he  could  see  one  glittering  brilliant  drop  after  an 
other  into  the  hat-box. 

He  stood  riveted  to  the  spot,  following  this  un 
usual  business  with  his  eyes.  The  diamonds  were, 
for  the  most  part,  small,  and  not  easily  distinguish- 


168     NEW    ARABIAN    NIGHTS 

able  either  in  shape  or  fire.  Suddenly  the  Dictator 
appeared  to  find  a  difficulty;  he  employed  both 
hands  and  stooped  over  his  task;  but  it  was  not 
until  after  considerable  manoeuvring  that  he  ex 
tricated  a  large  tiara  of  diamonds  from  the  lining, 
and  held  it  up  for  some  seconds'  examination  be 
fore  he  placed  it  with  the  others  in  the  hat-box. 
The  tiara  was  a  ray  of  light  to  Mr.  Rolles ;  he  im 
mediately  recognised  it  for  a  part  of  the  treasure 
stolen  from  Harry  Hartley  by  the  loiterer.  There 
was  no  room  for  mistake;  it  was  exactly  as  the 
detective  had  described  it;  there  were  the  ruby 
stars,  with  a  great  emerald  in  the  centre;  there 
were  the  interlacing  crescents;  and  there  were 
the  pear-shaped  pendants,  each  a  single  stone, 
which  gave  a  special  value  to  Lady  Vandeleur's 
tiara. 

Mr.  Rolles  was  hugely  relieved.  The  Dictator 
was  as  deeply  in  the  affair  as  he  was ;  neither  could 
tell  tales  upon  the  other.  In  the  first  glow  of  happi 
ness,  the  clergyman  suffered  a  deep  sigh  to  escape 
him ;  and  as  his  bosom  had  become  choked  and  his 
throat  dry  during  his  previous  suspense,  the  sigh 
was  followed  by  a  cough. 

Mr.  Vandeleur  looked  up;  his  face  contracted 
with  the  blackest  and  most  deadly  passion ;  his  eyes 
opened  widely,  and  his  under  jaw  dropped  in  an 
astonishment  that  was  upon  the  brink  of  fury.  By 
an  instinctive  movement  he  had  covered  the  hat- 
box  with  the  coat.  For  half  a  minute  the  two  men 
stared  upon  each  other  in  silence.  It  was  not  a 
long  interval,  but  it  sufficed  for  Mr.  Rolles;  he 


NEW    ARABIAN    NIGHTS     169 

was  one  of  those  who  think  swiftly  on  dangerous 
occasions;  he  decided  on  a  course  of  action  of  a 
singularly  daring  nature;  and  although  he  felt  he 
was  setting  his  life  upon  the  hazard,  he  was  the 
first  to  break  silence. 

"  I  beg  your  pardon,"  said  he. 

The  Dictator  shivered  slightly,  and  when  he 
spoke  his  voice  was  hoarse. 

"  What  do  you  want  here  ?  "  he  asked. 

"  I  take  a  particular  interest  in  diamonds,"  re 
plied  Mr.  Rolles,  with  an  air  of  perfect  self-posses 
sion.  ;'  Two  connoisseurs  should  be  acquainted. 
I  have  here  a  trifle  of  my  own  which  may  perhaps 
serve  for  an  introduction." 

And  so  saying,  he  quietly  took  the  case  from  his 
pocket,  showed  the  Rajah's  Diamond  to  the  Dic 
tator  for  an  instant,  and  replaced  it  in  security. 

"  It  was  once  your  brother's,"  he  added. 

John  Vandeleur  continued  to  regard  him  with  a 
look  of  almost  painful  amazement;  but  "he  neither 
spoke  nor  moved. 

"  I  was  pleased  to  observe,"  resumed  the  young 
man,  "that  we  have  gems  from  the  same  collection." 

The  Dictator's  surprise  overpowered  him. 

"  I  beg  your  pardon,"  he  said ;  "  I  begin  to  per 
ceive  that  I  am  growing  old !  I  am  positively  not 
prepared  for  little  incidents  like  this.  But  set  my 
mind  at  rest  upon  one  point:  do  my  eyes  deceive 
me,  or  are  you  indeed  a  parson?  " 

"  I  am  in  holy  orders,"  answered  Mr.  Rolles. 

"  Well,"  cried  the  other,  "  as  long  as  I  live  I  will 
never  hear  another  word  against  the  cloth !  " 


170     NEW    ARABIAN    NIGHTS 

"  You  flatter  me,"  said  Mr.  Rolles. 

"  Pardon  me,"  replied  Vandeleur ;  "  pardon  me, 
young  man.  You  are  no  coward,  but  it  still  re 
mains  to  be  seen  whether  you  are  not  the  worst 
of  fools.  Perhaps,"  he  continued,  leaning  back 
upon  his  seat,  "  perhaps  you  would  oblige  me  with 
a  few  particulars.  I  must  suppose  you  had  some 
object  in  the  stupefying  impudence  of  your  pro 
ceedings,  and  I  confess  I  have  a  curiosity  to 
know  it." 

"  It  is  very  simple,"  replied  the  clergyman ;  "  it 
proceeds  from  my  great  inexperience  of  life." 

"  I  shall  be  glad  to  be  persuaded,"  answered 
Vandeleur. 

Whereupon  Mr.  Rolles  told  him  the  whole  story 
of  his  connection  with  the  Rajah's  Diamond,  from 
the  time  he  found  it  in  Raeburn's  garden,  to  the 
time  when  he  left  London  in  the  Flying  Scotch 
man.  He  added  a  brief  sketch  of  his  feelings  and 
thoughts  during  the  journey,  and  concluded  in 
these  words: 

"  When  I  recognised  the  tiara  I  knew  we  were 
in  the  same  attitude  towards  Society,  and  this  in 
spired  me  with  a  hope,  which  I  trust  you  will  say 
was  not  ill-founded,  that  you  might  become  in  some 
sense  my  partner  in  the  difficulties  and,  of  course, 
the  profits  of  my  situation.  To  one  of  your  special 
knowledge  and  obviously  great  experience  the  ne 
gotiation  of  the  diamond  would  give  but  little 
trouble,  while  to  me  it  was  a  matter  of  impossibility. 
On  the  other  part,  I  judged  that  I  might  lose  nearly 
as  much  by  cutting  the  diamond,  and  that  not  im- 


NEW    ARABIAN    NIGHTS     171 

probably  with  an  unskilful  hand,  as  might  enable 
me  to  pay  you  with  proper  generosity  for  your 
assistance.  The  subject  was  a  delicate  one  to 
broach;  and  perhaps  I  fell  short  in  delicacy.  But 
I  must  ask  you  to  remember  that  for  me  the 
situation  was  a  new  one,  and  I  was  entirely  un 
acquainted  with  the  etiquette  in  use.  I  believe 
without  vanity  that  I  could  have  married  or 
baptised  you  in  a  very  acceptable  manner;  but 
every  man  has  his  own  aptitudes,  and  this  sort 
of  bargain  was  not  among  the  list  of  my 
accomplishments." 

"  I  do  not  wish  to  flatter  you/'  replied  Vandeleur ; 
"  but  upon  my  word  you  have  an  unusual  disposi 
tion  for  a  life  of  crime.  You  have  more  accom 
plishments  than  you  imagine;  and  though  I  have 
encountered  a  number  of  rogues  in  different  quar 
ters  of  the  world,  I  never  met  with  one  so  unblush 
ing  as  yourself.  Cheer  up,  Mr.  Rolles,  you  are  in 
the  right  profession  at  last!  As  for  helping  you, 
you  may  command  me  as  you  will.  I  have  only 
a  day's  business  in  Edinburgh  on  a  little  matter 
for  my  brother;  and  once  that  is  concluded,  I 
return  to  Paris,  where  I  usually  reside.  If  you 
please,  you  may  accompany  me  thither.  And 
before  the  end  of  a  month  I  believe  I  shall 
have  brought  your  little  business  to  a  satisfactory 
conclusion." 

(At  this  point,  contrary  to  all  the  canons  of  his 
art,  our  Arabian  author  breaks  off  the  STORY  OF 
THE  YOUNG  MAN  IN  HOLY  ORDERS.  /  regret  and 


172     NEW    ARABIAN    NIGHTS 

condemn  such  practices;  but  I  must  follow  my 
original,  and  refer  the  reader  for  the  conclusion  of 
Mr.  Rolles's  adventures  to  the  next  number  of  the 
cycle,  the  STORY  OF  THE  HOUSE  WITH  THE  GREEN 
BLINDS.) 


STORY   OF   THE   HOUSE   WITH   THE   GREEN 
BLINDS 

FRANCIS  SCRYMGEOUR,  a  clerk  in  the 
Bank  of  Scotland  at  Edinburgh,  had  at 
tained  the  age  of  twenty-five  in  a  sphere 
of  quiet,  creditable,  and  domestic  life.  His  mother 
died  while  he  was  young ;  but  his  father,  a  man  of 
sense  and  probity,  had  given  him  an  excellent  edu 
cation  at  school,  and  brought  him  up  at  home  to 
orderly  and  frugal  habits.  Francis,  who  was  of  a 
docile  and  affectionate  disposition,  profited  by  these 
advantages  with  zeal,  and  devoted  himself  heart 
and  soul  to  his  employment.  A  walk  upon  Satur 
day  afternoon,  an  occasional  dinner  with  members 
of  his  family,  and  a  yearly  tour  of  a  fortnight  in 
the  Highlands  or  even  on  the  continent  of  Europe, 
were  his  principal  distractions,  and  he  grew  rapidly 
in  favour  with  his  superiors,  and  enjoyed  already 
a  salary  of  nearly  two  hundred  pounds  a  year, 
with  the  prospect  of  an  ultimate  advance  to  al 
most  double  that  amount.  Few  young  men  were 
more  contented,  few  more  willing  and  laborious 
than  Francis  Scrymgeour.  Sometimes  at  night, 
when  he  had  read  the  daily  paper,  he  would  play 
upon  the  flute  to  amuse  his  father,  for  whose 
qualities  he  entertained  a  great  respect.  « 


174     NEW    ARABIAN    NIGHTS 

One  day  he  received  a  note  from  a  well-known 
firm  of  Writers  to  the  Signet,  requesting  the  favour 
of  an  immediate  interview  with  him.  The  latter 
was  marked  "  Private  and  Confidential/'  and  had 
been  addressed  to  him  at  the  bank,  instead  of  at 
home  —  two  unusual  circumstances  which  made 
him  obey  the  summons  with  the  more  alacrity. 
The  senior  member  of  the  firm,  a  man  of  much 
austerity  of  manner,  made  him  gravely  welcome, 
requested  him  to  take  a  seat,  and  proceeded  to  ex 
plain  the  matter  in  hand  in  the  picked  expressions; 
of  a  veteran  man  of  business.  A  person,  who  must 
remain  nameless,  but  of  whom  the  lawyer  had 
every  reason  to  think  well  —  a  man,  in  short,  of 
some  station  in  the  country  —  desired  to  mak<! 
Francis  an  annual  allowance  of  five  hundred 
pounds.  The  capital  was  to  be  placed  under  the: 
control  of  the  lawyer's  firm  and  two  trustees  who 
must  also  remain  anonymous.  There  were  con 
ditions  annexed  to  this  liberality,  but  he  was  of 
opinion  that  his  new  client  would  find  nothing 
either  excessive  or  dishonourable  in  the  terms; 
and  he  repeated  these  two  words  with  emphasis, 
as  though  he  desired  to  commit  himself  to  nothing 
more. 

Francis  asked  their  nature. 

"  The  conditions,"  said  the  Writer  to  the  Signet, 
"  are,  as  I  have  twice  remarked,  neither  dishonour 
able  nor  excessive.  At  the  same  time  I  cannot 
conceal  from  you  that  they  are  most  unusual.  In 
deed,  the  whole  case  is  very  much  out  of  our  way ; 
and  I  should  certainly  have  refused  it  had  it  not 


NEW    ARABIAN    NIGHTS     175 

been  for  the  reputation  of  the  gentleman  who  en 
trusted  it  to  my  care,  and,  let  me  add,  Mr.  Scrym- 
geour,  the  interest  I  have  been  led  to  take  in 
yourself  by  many  complimentary  and,  I  have  nc 
doubt,  well-deserved  reports." 

Francis  entreated  him  to  be  more  specific. 

"  You  cannot  picture  my  uneasiness  as  to  these 
conditions,"  he  said. 

"  They  are  two,"  replied  the  lawyer,  "  only  two ; 
and  the  sum,  as  you  will  remember,  is  five  hun 
dred  a  year,  —  and  unburthened,  I  forgot  to  add, 
unburthened." 

And  the  lawyer  raised  his  eyebrows  at  him  with 
solemn  gusto. 

"  The  first,"  he  resumed,  "  is  of  remarkable  sim 
plicity.  You  must  be  in  Paris  by  the  afternoon  of 
Sunday,  the  1 5th ;  there  you  will  find,  at  the  box- 
office  of  the  Comedie  Franchise,  a  ticket  for  ad 
mission  taken  in  your  name  and  waiting  you.  You 
are  requested  to  sit  out  the  whole  performance  in 
the  seat  provided,  and  that  is  all." 

"  I  should  certainly  have  preferred  a  week 
day,"  replied  Francis.  "  But,  after  all,  once  in  a 
way- 

"  And  in  Paris,  my  dear  sir,"  added  the  lawyer, 
soothingly.  "  I  believe  I  am  something  of  a  pre 
cisian  myself,  but  upon  such  a  consideration,  and 
in  Paris,  I  should  not  hesitate  an  instant." 

And  the  pair  laughed  pleasantly  together. 

"  The  other  is  of  more  importance,"  continued 
the  Writer  to  the  Signet.  "  It  regards  your  mar 
riage.  My  client,  taking  a  deep  interest  in  your 


176     Nh,W    ARABIAN    NIGHTS 

welfare,  desires  to  advise  you  absolutely  in  the 
choice  of  a  wife.  Absolutely,  you  understand," 
he  repeated. 

"  Let  us  be  more  explicit,  if  you  please,"  re 
turned  Francis.  "  Am  I  to  marry  any  one,  maid 
or  widow,  black  or  white,  whom  this  invisible  per 
son  chooses  to  propose  ?  " 

"  I  was  to  assure  you  that  suitability  of  age 
and  position  should  be  a  principle  with  your  bene 
factor,"  replied  the  lawyer.  "  As  to  race,  I  con 
fess  the  difficulty  had  not  occurred  to  me,  and  I 
failed  to  inquire;  but  if  you  like  I  will  make  a 
note  of  it  at  once,  and  advise  you  on  the  earliest 
opportunity." 

"  Sir,"  said  Francis,  "  it  remains  to  be  seen 
whether  this  whole  affair  is  not  a  most  unworthy 
fraud.  The  circumstances  are  inexplicable  —  I 
had  almost  said  incredible;  and  until  I  see  a  little 
more  daylight,  and  some  plausible  motive,  I  con 
fess  I  should  be  very  sorry  to  put  a  hand  to  the 
transaction.  I  appeal  to  you  in  this  difficulty  for 
information.  I  must  learn  what  is  at  the  bottom 
of  it  all.  If  you  do  not  know,  cannot  guess,  or 
are  not  at  liberty  to  tell  me,  I  shall  take  my  hat 
and  go  back  to  my  bank  as  I  came." 

"  I  do  not  know,"  answered  the  lawyer,  "  but  I 
have  an  excellent  guess.  Your  father,  and  no  one 
else,  is  at  the  root  of  this  apparently  unnatural 
business." 

"  My  father !  "  cried  Francis,  in  extreme  disdain. 
"  Worthy  man,  I  know  every  thought  of  his  mind, 
every  penny  of  his  fortune !  " 


NEW    ARABIAN    NIGHTS     177 

"  You  misinterpret  my  words,"  said  the  lawyer. 
"  1  do  not  refer  to  Mr.  Scrymgeour,  senior ;  for 
he  is  not  your  father.  When  he  and  his  wife  came 
to  Edinburgh,  you  were  already  nearly  one  year 
old,  and  you  had  not  yet  been  three  months  in 
their  care.  The  secret  has  been  well  kept;  but 
such  is  the  fact.  Your  father  is  unknown,  and  I 
say  again  that  I  believe  him  to  be  the  original  of 
the  offers  I  am  charged  at  present  to  transmit  to 
you." 

It  would  be  impossible  to  exaggerate  the  aston 
ishment  of  Francis  Scrymgeour  at  this  unexpected 
information.  He  pleaded  this  confusion  to  the 
lawyer. 

"  Sir,"  said  he,  "  after  a  piece  of  news  so  start 
ling,  you  must  grant  me  some  hours  for  thought. 
You  shall  know  this  evening  what  conclusion  I 
have  reached." 

The  lawyer  commended  his  prudence;  and 
Francis,  excusing  himself  upon  some  pretext  at 
the  bank,  took  a  long  walk  into  the  country,  and 
fully  considered  the  different  steps  and  aspects  of 
the  case.  A  pleasant  sense  of  his  own  importance 
rendered  him  the  more  deliberate;  but  the  issue 
was  from  the  first  not  doubtful.  His  whole  carnal 
man  leaned  irresistibly  towards  the  five  hundred 
a  year,  and  the  strange  conditions  with  which  it 
was  burthened;  he  discovered  in  his  heart  an  in 
vincible  repugnance  to  the  name  of  Scrymgeour, 
which  he  had  never  hitherto  disliked;  he  began 
to  despise  the  narrow  and  unromantic  interest  of 
his  former  life;  and  when  once  his  mind  was 

VOL.    III. —  12 


178     NEW    ARABIAN    NIGHTS 

fairly  made  up,  he  walked  with  a  new  feeling  of 
strength  and  freedom,  and  nourished  himself  with 
the  gayest  anticipations. 

He  said  but  a  word  to  the  lawyer,  and  immedi 
ately  received  a  check  for  two  quarters'  arrears ; 
for  the  allowance  was  ante-dated  from  the  first  of 
January.  With  this  in  his  pocket,  he  walked  home. 
The  flat  in  Scotland  Street  looked  mean  in  his  eyes ; 
his  nostrils,  for  the  first  time,  rebelled  against  the 
odour  of  broth;  and  he  observed  little  defects  of 
manner  in  his  adoptive  father  which  filled  him 
with  surprise  and  almost  with  disgust.  The  next 
day,  he  determined,  should  see  him  on  his  way 
to  Paris. 

In  that  city,  where  he  arrived  long  before  the 
appointed  date,  he  put  up  at  a  modest  hotel  fre 
quented  by  English  and  Italians,  and  devoted  him 
self  to  improvement  in  the  French  tongue;  for  this; 
purpose  he  had  a  master  twice  a  week,  entered  into 
conversation  with  loiterers  in  the  Champs  Elysees, 
and  nightly  frequented  the  theatre.  He  had  his 
whole  toilette  fashionably  renewed ;  and  was  shaved 
and  had  his  hair  dressed  every  morning  by  a  barber 
in  a  neighbouring  street.  This  gave  him  something 
of  a  foreign  air,  and  seemed  to  wipe  off  the  re 
proach  of  his  past  years. 

At  length,  on  the  Saturday  afternoon,  he  betook 
himself  to  the  box-office  of  the  theatre  in  the  Rue 
Richelieu.  No  sooner  had  he  mentioned  his  name 
than  the  clerk  produced  the  order  in  an  envelope 
of  which  the  address  was  scarcely  dry. 

"  It  has  been  taken  this  moment,"  said  the  clerk. 


NEW   ARABIAN    NIGHTS     179 

"  Indeed !  "  said  Francis.  "  May  I  ask  what  the 
gentleman  was  like?  " 

"  Your  friend  is  easy  to  describe,"  replied  the 
official.  "  He  is  old  and  strong  and  beautiful,  with 
white  hair  and  a  sabre-cut  across  his  face.  You 
cannot  fail  to  recognise  so  marked  a  person." 

"  No,  indeed,"  returned  Francis ;  "  and  I  thank 
you  for  your  politeness." 

"  He  cannot  yet  be  far  distant,"  added  the 
clerk.  "  If  you  make  haste  you  might  still  over 
take  him." 

Francis  did  not  wait  to  be  twice  told;  he  ran 
precipitately  from  the  theatre  into  the  middle  of 
the  street  and  looked  in  all  directions.  More  than 
one  white-haired  man  was  within  sight ;  but  though 
he  overtook  each  of  them  in  succession,  all  wanted 
the  sabre-cut.  For  nearly  half  an  hour  he  tried  one 
street  after  another  in  the  neighbourhood,  until  at 
length,  recognising  the  folly  of  continued  search, 
he  started  on  a  walk  to  compose  his  agitated  feel 
ings  ;  for  this  proximity  of  an  encounter  with  him 
to  whom  he  could  not  doubt  he  owed  the  day  had 
profoundly  moved  the  young  man. 

It  chanced  that  his  way  lay  up  the  Rue  Drouot 
and  thence  up  the  Rue  des  Martyrs;  and  chance, 
in  this  case,  served  him  better  than  all  the  fore 
thought  in  the  world.  For  on  the  outer  boulevard 
he  saw  two  men  in  earnest  colloquy  upon  a  seat. 
One  was  dark,  young,  and  handsome,  secularly 
dressed,  but  with  an  indelible  clerical  stamp;  the 
other  answered  in  every  particular  to  the  descrip 
tion  given  him  by  the  clerk.  Francis  felt  his  heart 


i8o     NEW   ARABIAN    NIGHTS 

beat  high  in  his  bosom;  he  knew  he  was  now 
about  to  hear  the  voice  of  his  father ;  and  making 
a  wide  circuit,  he  noiselessly  took  his  place  behind 
the  couple  in  question,  who  were  too  much  in 
terested  in  their  talk  to  observe  much  else.  As 
Francis  had  expected,  the  conversation  was  con 
ducted  in  the  English  language. 

'  Your  suspicions  begin  to  annoy  me,  Rolles," 
said  the  older  man.  "  I  tell  you  I  am  doing  my 
utmost;  a  man  cannot  lay  his  hand  on  millions  in 
a  moment.  Have  I  not  taken  you  up,  a  mere 
stranger,  out  of  pure  good-will?  Are  you  not 
living  largely  on  my  bounty?" 

"  On  your  advances,  Mr.  Vandeleur,"  corrected 
the  other. 

"  Advances,  if  you  choose ;  and  interest  instead 
of  good-will,  if  you  prefer  it,"  returned  Vande 
leur,  angrily.  "  I  am  not  here  to  pick  expressions. 
Business  is  business;  and  your  business,  let  me 
remind  you,  is  too  muddy  for  such  airs.  Trust 
me,  or  leave  me  alone  and  find  some  one  else; 
but  let  us  have  an  end,  for  God's  sake,  of  your 
jeremiads." 

"  I  am  beginning  to  learn  the  world,"  replied 
the  other,  "  and  I  see  that  you  have  every  reason 
to  play  me  false,  and  not  one  to  deal  honestly.  I 
am  not  here  to  pick  expressions  either;  you  wish 
the  diamond  for  yourself :  you  know  you  do  — 
you  dare  not  deny  it.  Have  you  not  already 
forged  my  name,  and  searched  my  lodging  in  my 
absence?  I  understand  the  cause  of  your  delays; 
you  are  lying  in  wait ;  you  are  the  diamond-hunter, 


NEW    ARABIAN    NIGHTS     181 

forsooth ;  and  sooner  or  later,  by  fair  means  or 
foul,  you  '11  lay  your  hands  upon  it.  I  tell  you,  it 
must  stop;  push  me  much  further  and  I  promise 
you  a  surprise." 

"  It  does  not  become  you  to  use  threats,"  re 
turned  Vandeleur.  "  Two  can  play  at  that.  My 
brother  is  here  in  Paris;  the  police  are  on  the 
alert;  and  if  you  persist  in  wearying  me  with 
your  caterwauling,  I  will  arrange  a  little  aston 
ishment  for  you,  Mr.  Rolles.  But  mine  shall  be 
once  and  for  all.  Do  you  understand,  or  would 
you  prefer  me  to  tell  it  you  in  Hebrew?  There 
is  an  end  to  all  things,  and  you  have  come  to  the 
end  of  my  patience.  Tuesday,  at  seven;  not  a 
day,  not  an  hour  sooner,  not  the  least  part  of  a 
'.second,  if  it  were  to  save  your  life.  And  if  you 
do  not  choose  to  wait,  you  may  go  to  the  bottom 
less  pit  for  me,  and  welcome." 

And  so  saying,  the  Dictator  arose-  from  the 
bench,  and  marched  off  in  the  direction  of  Mont- 
martre,  shaking  his  head  and  swinging  his  cane 
with  a  most  furious  air;  while  his  companion 
remained  where  he  was,  in  an  attitude  of  great 
dejection. 

Francis  was  at  the  pitch  of  surprise  and  horror; 
his  sentiments  had  been  shocked  to  the  last  degree ; 
the  hopeful  tenderness  with  which  he  had  taken  his 
place  upon  the  bench  was  transformed  into  repul 
sion  and  despair ;  old  Mr.  Scrymgeour,  he  reflected, 
was  a  far  more  kindly  and  creditable  parent  than 
this  dangerous  and  violent  intriguer;  but  he  re 
tained  his  presence  of  mind,  and  suffered  not  a 


182     NEW    ARABIAN    NIGHTS 

moment  to  elapse  before  he  was  on  the  trail  of  the 
Dictator. 

That  gentleman's  fury  carried  him  forward  at  a 
brisk  pace,  and  he  was  so  completely  occupied  in 
his  angry  thoughts  that  he  never  so  much  as  cast 
a  look  behind  him  till  he  reached  his  own  door. 

His  house  stood  high  up  in  the  Rue  Lepic,  com 
manding  a  view  of  all  Paris  and  enjoying  the  pure 
air  of  the  heights.  It  was  two  stories  high,  with 
green  blinds  and  shutters;  and  all  the  windows 
looking  on  the  street  were  hermetically  closed. 
Tops  of  trees  showed  over  the  high  garden  wall, 
and  the  wall  was  protected  by  chcvaux-de-frise. 
The  Dictator  paused  a  moment  while  he  searched 
his  pocket  for  a  key;  and  then,  opening  a  gate, 
disappeared  within  the  enclosure. 

Francis  looked  about  him ;  the  neighbourhood 
was  very  lonely;  the  house  isolated  in  its  garden. 
It  seemed  as  if  his  observation  must  here  come  to 
an  abrupt  end.  A  second  glance,  however,  showed 
him  a  tall  house  next  door  presenting  a  gable  to 
the  garden,  and  in  this  gable  a  single  window.  He 
passed  to  the  front  and  saw  a  ticket  offering  un 
furnished  lodgings  by  the  month ;  and,  on  inquiry, 
the  room  which  commanded  the  Dictator's  garden 
proved  to  be  one  of  those  to  let.  Francis  did  not 
hesitate  a  moment;  he  took  the  room,  paid  an 
advance  upon  the  rent,  and  returned  to  his  hotel 
to  seek  his  baggage. 

The  old  man  with  the  sabre-cut  might  or  might 
not  be  his  father;  he  might  or  he  might  not  be 
on  the  true  scent ;  but  he  was  certainly  on  the  edge 


NEW    ARABIAN    NIGHTS     183 

of  an  exciting  mystery,  and  he  promised  himself 
that  he  would  not  relax  his  observation  until  he 
had  got  to  the  bottom  of  the  secret. 

From  the  window  of  his  new  apartment  Francis 
Scrymgeour  commanded  a  complete  view  into  the 
garden  of  the  house  with  the  green  blinds.  Im 
mediately  below  him  a  very  comely  chestnut  with 
wide  boughs  sheltered  a  pair  of  rustic  tables  where 
people  might  dine  in  the  height  of  summer.  On 
all  sides  save  one  a  dense  vegetation  concealed  the 
soil :  but  there,  between  the  tables  and  the  house, 
he  saw  a  patch  of  gravel  walk  leading  from  the 
veranda  to  the  garden  gate.  Studying  the  places 
from  between  the  boards  of  the  Venetian  shutter, 
which  he  durst  not  open  for  fear  of  attracting 
attention,  Francis  observed  but  little  to  indicate 
the  manners  of  the  inhabitants,  and  that  little 
argued  no  more  than  a  close  reserve  and  a  taste 
for  solitude.  The  garden  was  conventual,  the 
house  had  the  air  of  a  prison.  The  green  blinds 
were  all  drawn  down  upon  the  outside;  the  door 
into  the  veranda  was  closed;  the  garden,  as  far 
as  he  could  see  it,  was  left  entirely  to  itself  in  the 
evening  sunshine.  A  modest  curl  of  smoke  from 
a  single  chimney  alone  testified  to  the  presence  of 
living  people. 

In  order  that  he  might  not  be  entirely  idle,  and 
to  give  a  certain  colour  to  his  way  of  life,  Francis 
had  purchased  Euclid's  Geometry  in  French,  which 
he  set  himself  to  copy  and  translate  on  the  top  of 
his  portmanteau  and  seated  on  the  floor  against  ths 
wall;  for  he  was  equally  without  chair  or  table. 


1 84     NEW    ARABIAN    NIGHTS 

From  time  to  time  he  would  rise  and  cast  a 
glance  into  the  enclosure  of  the  house  with  the 
green  blinds;  but  the  windows  remained  obsti 
nately  closed  and  the  garden  empty. 

Only  late  in  the  evening  did  anything  occur  to 
reward  his  continued  attention.  Between  nine  and 
ten  the  sharp  tinkle  of  a  bell  aroused  him  from  a 
fit  of  dozing;  and  he  sprang  to  his  observatory  in 
time  to  hear  an  important  noise  of  locks  being 
opened  and  bars  removed,  and  to  see  Mr.  Vande- 
leur,  carrying  a  lantern  and  clothed  in  a  flowing 
robe  of  black  velvet  with  a  skull-cap  to  match, 
issue  from  under  the  veranda  and  proceed  leisurely 
toward  the  garden  gate.  The  sound  of  bolts  and 
bars  was  then  repeated ;  and  a  moment  after  Fran 
cis  perceived  the  Dictator  escorting  into  the  house, 
in  the  mobile  light  of  the  lantern,  an  individual  of 
the  lowest  and  most  despicable  appearance. 

Half  an  hour  afterward  the  visitor  was  recon- 
ducted  to  the  street;  and  Mr.  Vandeleur,  setting 
his  light  upon  one  of  the  rustic  tables,  finished  a 
cigar  with  great  deliberation  under  the  foliage  of 
the  chestnut.  Francis,  peering  through  a  clear 
space  among  the  leaves,  was  able  to  follow  his 
gestures  as  he  threw  away  the  ash  or  enjoyed  a 
copious  inhalation;  and  beheld  a  cloud  upon  the 
old  man's  brow  and  a  forcible  action  of  the  lips, 
which  testified  to  some  deep  and  probably  painful 
train  of  thought.  The  cigar  was  already  almost 
at  an  end,  when  the  voice  of  a  young  girl  was 
heard  suddenly  crying  the  hour  from  the  interior 
of  the  house. 


NEW    ARABIAN    NIGHTS     185 

"  In  a  moment,"  replied  John  Vandeleur. 

And,  with  that,  he  threw  away  the  stump  and, 
taking  up  the  lantern,  sailed  away  under  the  ve 
randa  for  the  night.  As  soon  as  the  door  was 
closed,  absolute  darkness  fell  upon  the  house; 
Francis  might  try  his  eyesight  as  much  as  he 
pleased,  he  could  not  detect  so  much  as  a  single 
chink  of  light  below  a  blind;  and  he  concluded, 
with  great  good  sense,  that  the  bed  chambers  were 
all  upon  the  other  side. 

Early  the  next  morning  (for  he  was  early  awake 
after  an  uncomfortable  night  upon  the  floor),  he 
saw  cause  to  adopt  a  different  explanation.  The 
blinds  rose,  one  after  another,  by  means  of  a 
spring  in  the  interior,  and  disclosed  steel  shutters 
such  as  we  see  on  the  front  of  shops;  these  in 
their  turn  were  rolled  up  by  a  similar  contrivance; 
and  for  the  space  of  about  an  hour,  the  chambers 
were  left  open  to  the  morning  air.  At  the  end 
of  that  time  Mr.  Vandeleur,  with  his  own  hand, 
once  more  closed  the  shutters  and  replaced  the 
blinds  from  within. 

While  Francis  was  still  marvelling  at  these  pre 
cautions,  the  door  opened  and  a  young  girl  came 
forth  to  look  about  her  in  the  garden.  It  was  not 
two  minutes  before  she  re-entered  the  house,  but 
even  in  that  short  time  he  saw  enough  to  convince 
him  that  she  possessed  the  most  unusual  attrac 
tions.  His  curiosity  was  not  only  highly  excited 
by  this  incident,  but  his  spirits  were  improved  to 
a  still  more  notable  degree.  The  alarming  man 
ners  and  more  than  equivocal  life  of  his  father 


186     NEW   ARABIAN    NIGHTS 

ceased  from  that  moment  to  prey  upon  his  mind; 
from  that  moment  he  embraced  his  new  family 
with  ardour;  and  whether  the  young  lady  should 
prove  his  sister  or  his  wife,  he  felt  convinced  she 
was  an  angel  in  disguise.  So  much  was  this  the 
case  that  he  was  seized  with  a  sudden  horror  when 
he  reflected  how  little  he  really  knew,  and  how 
possible  it  was  that  he  followed  the  wrong  person 
when  he  followed  Mr.  Vandeleur. 

The  porter,  whom  he  consulted,  could  afford 
him  little  information;  but,  such  as  it  was,  it  had 
a  mysterious  and  questionable  sound.  The  person 
next  door  was  an  English  gentleman  of  extraor 
dinary  wealth,  and  proportionately  eccentric  in  his 
tastes  and  habits.  He  possessed  great  collections, 
which  he  kept  in  the  house  beside  him ;  and  it  was 
to  protect  these  that  he  had  fitted  the  place  with 
steel  shutters,  elaborate  fastenings  and  chevaux-de- 
frise  along  the  garden  wall.  He  lived  much  alone, 
in  spite  of  some  strange  visitors  with  whom,  it 
seemed,  he  had  business  to  transact ;  and  there  was 
no  one  in  the  house  except  Mademoiselle  and  an 
old  woman  servant. 

"  Is  Mademoiselle  his  daughter  ? "  inquired 
Francis. 

"  Certainly,"  replied  the  porter.  "  Mademoiselle 
is  the  daughter  of  the  house;  and  strange  it  is  to 
see  how  she  is  made  to  work.  For  all  his  riches, 
it  is  she  who  goes  to  market ;  and  every  day  in  the 
week  you  may  see  her  going  by  with  a  basket  on 
her  arm/' 

"  And  the  collections  ?  "  asked  the  other. 


NEW   ARABIAN    NIGHTS     187 

"  Sir,"  said  the  man,  "  they  are  immensely  valir 
able.  More  I  cannot  tell  you.  Since  M.  de  Van- 
deleur's  arrival  no  one  in  the  quarter  has  so  much 
as  passed  the  door." 

"  Suppose  not,"  returned  Francis,  "  you  must 
surely  have  some  notion  what  these  famous  gal 
leries  contain.  Is  it  pictures,  silks,  statues,  jewels, 
or  what?  " 

"  My  faith,  sir,"  said  the  fellow  with  a  shrug, 
"  it  might  be  carrots,  and  still  I  could  not  tell  you. 
How  should  I  know?  The  house  is  kept  like  a 
garrison,  as  you  perceive." 

And  then  as  Francis  was  returning  disappointed 
to  his  room,  the  porter  called  him  back. 

"  I  have  just  remembered,  sir,"  said  he.  "  M. 
de  Vandeleur  has  been  in  all  parts  of  the  world, 
and  I  once  heard  the  old  woman  declare  that  he 
had  brought  many  diamonds  back  with  him.  If 
that  be  the  truth,  there  must  be  a  fine  show  behind 
those  shutters." 

By  an  early  hour  on  Sunday  Francis  was  in  his 
place  at  the  theatre.  The  seat  which  had  been 
taken  for  him  was  only  two  or  three  numbers  from 
the  left-hand  side,  and  directly  opposite  one  of  the 
lower  boxes.  As  the  seat  had  been  specially  chosen 
there  was  doubtless  something  to  be  learned  from 
its  position ;  and  he  judged  by  an  instinct  that  the 
box  upon  his  right  was,  in  some  way  or  other,  to 
be  connected  with  the  drama  in  which  he  igno- 
rantly  played  a  part.  Indeed  it  was  so  situated 
that  its  occupants  could  safely  observe  him  from 
beginning  to  end  of  the  piece,  if  they  were  so 


i88     NEW    ARABIAN    NIGHTS 

minded;  while,  profiting  by  the  depth,  they  could 
screen  themselves  sufficiently  well  from  any  coun 
ter-examination  on  his  side.  He  promised  himself 
not  to  leave  it  for  a  moment  out  of  sight;  and 
whilst  he  scanned  the  rest  of  the  theatre,  or  made 
a  show  of  attending  to  the  business  of  the  stage, 
he  always  kept  a  corner  of  an  eye  upon  the  empty 
box. 

The  second  act  had  been  some  time  in  progress, 
and  was  even  drawing  towards  a  close,  when  the 
door  opened  and  two  persons  entered  and  en 
sconced  themselves  in  the  darkest  of  the  shade. 
Francis  could  hardly  control  his  emotion.  It  was 
Mr.  Vandeleur  and  his  daughter.  The  blood  came 
and  went  in  his  arteries  and  veins  with  stunning  ac 
tivity;  his  ears  sang;  his  head  turned.  He  dared 
not  look  lest  he  should  awake  suspicion;  his  play 
bill,  which  he  kept  reading  from  end  to  end,  and 
over  and  over  again,  turned  from  white  to  red 
before  his  eyes;  and  when  he  cast  a  glance  upon 
the  stage  it  seemed  incalculably  far  away,  and  he 
found  the  voices  and  gestures  of  the  actors  to  the 
last  degree  impertinent  and  absurd. 

From  time  to  time  he  risked  a  momentary  look 
in  the  direction  which  principally  arrested  him ;  and 
once  at  least  he  felt  certain  that  his  eyes  encoun 
tered  those  of  the  young  girl.  A  shock  passed  over 
his  body,  and  he  saw  all  the  colours  of  the  rain 
bow.  What  would  he  not  have  given  to  overhear 
what  passed  between  the  Vandeleurs  ?  What  would 
he  not  have  given  for  the  courage  to  take  up  his 
opera-glass  and  steadily  inspect  their  attitude  and 


NEW    ARABIAN    NIGHTS     189 

expression?  There,  for  aught  he  knew,  his  whole 
fife  was  being  decided  —  and  he  not  able  to  inter 
fere,  not  able  even  to  follow  the  debate,  but  con 
demned  to  sit  and  suffer  where  he  was,  in  impotent 
anxiety. 

At  last  the  act  came  to  an  end.  The  curtain 
fell,  and  the  people  around  him  began  to  leave 
their  places  for  the  interval.  It  was  only  natural 
that  he  should  follow  their  example;  and  if  he 
did  so,  it  was  not  only  natural  but  necessary  that 
he  should  pass  immediately  in  front  of  the  box  in 
question.  Summoning  all  his  courage,  but  keeping 
his  eyes  lowered,  Francis  drew  near  the  spot.  His 
progress  was  slow,  for  the  old  gentleman  before 
him  moved  with  incredible  deliberation,  wheezing 
as  he  went.  What  was  he  to  do?  Should  he 
address  the  Vandeleurs  by  name  as  he  went  by? 
Should  he  take  the  flower  from  his  button-hole 
and  throw  it  into  the  box?  Should  he  raise  his 
face  and  direct  one  long  and  affectionate  look 
upon  the  lady  who  was  either  his  sister  or  his 
betrothed?  As  he  found  himself  thus  struggling 
among  so  many  alternatives,  he  had  a  vision  of 
his  old  equable  existence  in  the  bank,  and  was 
assailed  by  a  thought  of  regret  for  the  past. 

By  this  time  he  had  arrived  directly  opposite  the 
box ;  and  although  he  was  still  undetermined  what 
to  do  or  whether  to  do  anything,  he  turned  his 
head  and  lifted  his  eyes.  No  sooner  had  he  done 
so  than  he  uttered  a  cry  of  disappointment  and 
remained  rooted  to  the  spot. 

The  box  was  empty.     During  his  slow  advance 


i9o     NEW    ARABIAN    NIGHTS 

Mr.  Vandeleur  and  his  daughter  had  quietly  slipped 
away. 

A  polite  person  in  his  rear  reminded  him  that 
he  was  stopping  the  path ;  and  he  moved  on  again 
with  mechanical  footsteps,  and  suffered  the  crowd 
to  carry  him  unresisting  out  of  the  theatre.  Once 
in  the  street,  the  pressure  ceasing,  he  came  to  a 
halt,  and  the  cool  night  air  speedily  restored  him 
to  the  possession  of  his  faculties.  He  was  sur 
prised  to  find  that  his  head  ached  violently,  and 
that  he  remembered  not  one  word  of  the  two  acts 
which  he  had  witnessed.  As  the  excitement  wore 
away,  it  was  succeeded  by  an  overweening  appetite 
for  sleep,  and  he  hailed  a  cab  and  drove  to  his 
lodging  in  a  state  of  extreme  exhaustion  and  some 
disgust  of  life. 

Next  morning  he  lay  in  wait  for  Miss  Vandeleur 
on  her  road  to  market,  and  by  eight  o'clock  beheld 
her  stepping  down  a  lane.  She  was  simply,  and 
even  poorly,  attired ;  but  in  the  carriage  of  hef 
head  and  body  there  was  something  flexible  and 
noble  that  would  have  lent  distinction  to  the  mean 
est  toilette.  Even  her  basket,  so  aptly  did  she 
carry  it,  became  her  like  an  ornament.  It  seemed 
to  Francis,  as  he  slipped  into  a  doorway,  that  the 
sunshine  followed  and  the  shadows  fled  before  her 
as  she  walked ;  and  he  was  conscious,  for  the  first 
time,  of  a  bird  singing  in  a  cage  above  the  lane. 

He  suffered  her  to  pass  the  doorway,  and  then, 
coming  forth  once  more,  addressed  her  by  name 
from  behind. 

"  Miss  Vandeleur,"  said  he. 


NEW   ARABIAN   NIGHTS     191 

She  turned  and,  when  she  saw  who  he  was,  be 
came  deadly  pale. 

"  Pardon  me,"  he  continued ;  "  Heaven  knows 
I  had  no  will  to  startle  you;  and,  indeed,  there 
should  be  nothing  startling  in  the  presence  of  one 
who  wishes  you  so  well  as  I  do.  And,  believe  me, 
I  am  acting  rather  from  necessity  than  choice.  We 
have  many  things  in  common,  and  I  am  sadly 
in  the  dark.  There  is  much  that  I  should  be 
doing,  and  my  hands  are  tied.  I  do  not  know 
even  what  to  feel,  nor  who  are  my  friends  and 
enemies." 

She  found  her  voice  with  an  effort. 

"  I  do  not  know  who  you  are,"  she  said. 

"  Ah,  yes !  Miss  Vandeleur,  you  do,"  returned 
Francis ;  "  better  than  I  do  myself.  Indeed  it  is 
on  that,  above  all,  that  I  seek  light.  Tell  me  what 
you  know,"  he  pleaded.  "  Tell  me  who  I  am,  who 
you  are,  and  how  our  destinies  are  intermixed. 
Give  me  a  little  help  with  my  life,  Miss  Vandeleur 
—  only  a  word  or  two  to  guide  me,  only  the  name 
of  my  father,  if  you  will  —  and  I  shall  be  grateful 
and  content." 

"  I  will  not  attempt  to  deceive  you,"  she  replied. 
"  I  know  who  you  are,  but  I  am  not  at  liberty  to 
say." 

'  Tell  me,  at  least,  that  you  have  forgiven  my 
presumption,  and  I  shall  wait  with  all  the  patience 
I  have,"  he  said.  "  If  I  am  not  to  know,  I  must 
do  without.  It  is  cruel,  but  I  can  bear  more  upon 
a  push.  Only  do  not  add  to  my  troubles  the 
thought  that  I  have  made  an  enemy  of  you." 


I92     NEW    ARABIAN    NIGHTS 

'  You  did  only  what  was  natural,"  she  said, 
"  and  I  have  nothing  to  forgive  you.  Farewell." 

"  Is  it  to  be  farewell?  "  he  asked. 

"  Nay,  that  I  do  not  know  myself,"  she  answered. 
"  Farewell  for  the  present,  if  you  like." 

And  with  these  words  she  was  gone. 

Francis  returned  to  his  lodging  in  a  state  of 
considerable  commotion  of  mind.  He  made  the 
most  trifling  progress  with  his  Euclid  for  that  fore 
noon,  and  was  more  often  at  the  window  than  at 
his  improvised  writing-table.  But  beyond  seeing 
the  return  of  Miss  Vandeleur,  and  the  meeting 
between  her  and  her  father,  who  was  smoking  a 
Trichinopoli  cigar  in  the  veranda,  there  was  noth 
ing  notable  in  the  neighbourhood  of  the  house 
with  the  green  blinds  before  the  time  of  the 
mid-day  meal.  The  young  man  hastily  allayed 
his  appetite  in  a  neighbouring  restaurant,  and  re 
turned  with  the  speed  of  unallayed  curiosity  to 
the  house  in  the  Rue  Lepic.  A  mounted  servant 
was  leading  a  saddle-horse  to  and  fro  before  the 
garden  wall ;  and  the  porter  of  Francis's  lodg 
ing  was  smoking  a  pipe  against  the  door-post, 
absorbed  in  contemplation  of  the  livery  and  the 
steeds. 

"Look!"  he  cried  to  the  young  man,  "  what 
fine  cattle !  what  an  elegant  costume !  They  belong 
to  the  brother  of  M.  de  Vandeleur,  who  is  now 
within  upon  a  visit.  He  is  a  great  man,  a  general, 
in  your  country ;  and  you  doubtless  know  him  well 
by  reputation." 

"  I   confess,"   returned   Francis,    "  that   I   have 


NEW    ARABIAN    NIGHTS     193 

never  heard  of  General  Vandeleur  before.  We 
have  many  officers  of  that  grade,  and  my  pursuits 
have  been  exclusively  civil." 

"  It  is  he,"  replied  the  porter,  "  who  lost  the 
great  diamond  of  the  Indies.  Of  that  at  least  you 
must  have  read  often  in  the  papers." 

As  soon  as  Francis  could  disengage  himself  from 
the  porter  he  ran  up-stairs  and  hurried  to  the 
window.  Immediately  below  the  clear  space  in 
the  chestnut  leaves,  the  two  gentlemen  were  seated 
in  conversation  over  a  cigar.  The  General,  a  red, 
military-looking  man,  offered  some  traces  of  a 
family  resemblance  to  his  brother;  he  had  some 
thing  of  the  same  features,  something,  although 
very  little,  of  the  same  free  and  powerful  carriage; 
but  he  was  older,  smaller,  and  more  common  in  air ; 
his  likeness  was  that  of  a  caricature,  and  he  seemed 
altogether  a  poor  and  debile  being  by  the  side  of 
the  Dictator. 

They  spoke  in  tones  so  low,  leaning  over  the 
table  with  every  appearance  of  interest,  that  Francis 
could  catch  no  more  than  a  word  or  two  on  an 
occasion.  For  as  little  as  he  heard,  he  was  con 
vinced  that  the  conversation  turned  upon  himself 
and  his  own  career;  several  times  the  name  of 
Scrymgeour  reached  his  ear,  for  it  was  easy  to  dis 
tinguish,  and  still  more  frequently  he  fancied  he 
could  distinguish  the  name  Francis. 

At  length  the  General,  as  if  in  a  hot  anger,  broke 
forth  into  several  violent  exclamations. 

"  Francis  Vandeleur !  "   he  cried,   accentuating 
the  last  word.     "  Francis  Vandeleur,  I  tell  you." 
•*-%.  in.— 13 


i94     NEW    ARABIAN    NIGHTS 

The  Dictator  made  a  movement  of  his  whole 
body,  half  affirmative,  half  contemptuous,  but  his 
answer  was  inaudible  to  the  young  man. 

Was  he  the  Francis  Vandeleur  in  question?  he 
wondered.  Were  they  discussing  the  name  under 
which  he  was  to  be  married?  Or  was  the  whole 
affair  a  dream  and  a  delusion  of  his  own  conceit 
and  sel f -absorption  ? 

After  another  interval  of  inaudible  talk,  dissen 
sion  seemed  again  to  arise  between  the  couple 
underneath  the  chestnut,  and  again  the  General 
raised  his  voice  angrily  so  as  to  be  audible  to 
Francis. 

"  My  wife?  "  he  cried.  "  I  have  done  with  my 
wife  for  good.  I  will  not  hear  her  name.  I  am 
sick  of  her  very  name." 

And  he  swore  aloud  and  beat  the  table  with  his 
fist. 

The  Dictator  appeared,  by  his  gestures,  to  pacify 
him  after  a  paternal  fashion ;  and  a  little  after  he 
conducted  him  to  the  garden  gate.  The  pair  shook 
hands  affectionately  enough;  but  as  soon  as  the 
door  had  closed  behind  his  visitor,  John  Vande 
leur  fell  into  a  fit  of  laughter  which  sounded  un 
kindly  and  even  devilish  in  the  ears  of  Francis 
Scrymgeour. 

So  another  day  had  passed,  and  little  more  learnt. 
But  the  young  man  remembered  that  the  morrow 
was  Tuesday,  and  promised  himself  some  curious 
discoveries ;  all  might  be  well,  or  all  might  be  ill ; 
he  was  sure,  at  least,  to  glean  some  curious  infor 
mation,  and,  perhaps,  by  good  luck,  get  at  the  heart 


NEW   ARABIAN    NIGHTS     195 

of  the  mystery  which  surrounded  his  father  and  his 
family. 

As  the  hour  of  the  dinner  drew  near  many  prep 
arations  were  made  in  the  garden  of  the  house 
with  the  green  blinds.  The  table  which  was  partly 
visible  to  Francis  through  the  chestnut  leaves  was 
destined  to  serve  as  a  sideboard,  and  carried  relays 
of  plates  and  the  materials  for  salad :  the  other, 
which  was  almost  entirely  concealed,  had  been  set 
apart  for  the  diners,  and  Francis  could  catch 
glimpses  of  white  cloth  and  silver  plate. 

Mr.  Rolles  arrived,  punctual  to  the  minute;  he 
looked  like  a  man  upon  his  guard,  and  spoke  low 
and  sparingly.  The  Dictator,  on  the  other  hand, 
appeared  to  enjoy  an  unusual  flow  of  spirits;  his 
laugh,  which  was  youthful  and  pleasant  to  hear, 
sounded  frequently  from  the  garden;  by  the  mod 
ulation  and  the  changes  of  his  voice  it  was  obvious 
that  he  told  many  droll  stories  and  imitated  the 
accents  of  a  variety  of  different  nations;  and  be* 
fore  he  and  the  young  clergyman  had  finished  their 
vermouth  all  feeling  of  distrust  was  at  an  end,  and 
they  were  talking  together  like  a  pair  of  school 
companions. 

At  length  Miss  Vandeleur  made  her  appearance, 
carrying  the  soup-tureen.  Mr.  Rolles  ran  to  offer 
her  assistance,  which  she  laughingly  refused;  and 
there  was  an  interchange  of  pleasantries  among  the 
trio  which  seemed  to  have  reference  to  this  primi 
tive  manner  of  waiting  by  one  of  the  company. 

"  One  is  more  at  one's  ease,"  Mr.  Vandeleur  was 
heard  to  declare. 


196     NEW   ARABIAN    NIGHTS 

Next  moment  they  were  all  three  in  their  places, 
and  Francis  could  see  as  little  as  he  could  hear  of 
what  passed ;  but  the  dinner  seemed  to  go  merrily ; 
there  was  a  perpetual  babble  of  voices  and  sound  of 
knives  and  forks  below  the  chestnut ;  and  Francis, 
who  had  no  more  than  a  roll  to  gnaw,  was  affected 
with  envy  by  the  comfort  and  deliberation  of  the 
meal.  The  party  lingered  over  one  dish  after  an 
other,  and  then  over  a  delicate  dessert,  with  a  bottle 
of  old  wine  carefully  uncorked  by  the  hand  of  the 
Dictator  himself.  As  it  began  to  grow  dark  a 
lamp  was  set  upon  the  table  and  a  couple  of 
candles  on  the  sideboard ;  for  the  night  was  per 
fectly  pure,  starry,  and  windless.  Light  over 
flowed  besides  from  the  door  and  window  in  the 
veranda,  so  that  the  garden  was  fairly  illuminated 
and  the  leaves  twinkled  in  the  darkness. 

For  perhaps  the  tenth  time  Miss  Vandeleur  en 
tered  the  house;  and  on  this  occasion  she  returned 
with  the  coffee  tray,  which  she  placed  upon  the 
sideboard.  At  the  same  moment  her  father  rose 
from  his  seat. 

"  The  coffee  is  my  province,"  Francis  heard  him 
say. 

And  next  moment  he  saw  his  supposed  father 
standing  by  the  sideboard  in  the  light  of  the 
candles. 

Talking  over  his  shoulder  all  the  while,  Mr. 
Vandeleur  poured  out  two  cups  of  the  brown 
stimulant,  and  then,  by  a  rapid  act  of  prestidigi 
tation,  emptied  the  contents  of  a  tiny  phial  into  the 
smaller  one  of  the  two.  The  thing  was  so  swiftly 


NEW    ARABIAN    NIGHTS     197 

done  that  even  Francis,  who  looked  straight  into 
his  face,  had  hardly  time  to  perceive  the  movement 
before  it  was  completed.  And  next  instant,  and 
still  laughing,  Mr.  Vandeleur  had  turned  again 
towards  the  table  with  a  cup  in  either  hand. 

"  We  have  done  with  this,"  said  he,  "  we  may 
expect  our  famous  Hebrew." 

It  would  be  impossible  to  depict  the  confusion 
and  distress  of  Francis  Scrymgeour.  He  saw  foul 
play  going  forward  before  his  eyes,  and  he  felt 
bound  to  interfere,  but  knew  not  how.  It  might 
be  a  mere  pleasantry,  and  then  how  should  he  look 
if  he  were  to  offer  an  unnecessary  warning?  Or 
again,  if  it  were  serious,  the  criminal  might  be  his 
own  father,  and  then  how  should  he  not  lament  if 
he  were  to  bring  ruin  on  the  author  of  his  days? 
For  the  first  time  he  became  conscious  of  his  own 
position  as  a  spy.  To  wait  inactive  at  such  a  junc 
ture  and  with  such  a  conflict  of  sentiments  in  his 
bosom  was  to  suffer  the  most  acute  torture;  he 
clung  to  the  bars  of  the  shutters,  his  heart  beat 
fast  and  with  irregularity,  and  he  felt  a  strong 
sweat  break  forth  upon  his  body. 

Several  minutes  passed. 

He  seemed  to  perceive  the  conversation  die  away 
and  grow  less  and  less  in  vivacity  and  volume ;  but 
still  no  sign  of  any  alarming  or  even  notable  event. 

Suddenly  the  ring  of  a  glass  breaking  was  fol 
lowed  by  a  faint  and  dull  sound,  as  of  a  person 
who  should  have  fallen  forward  with  his  head  upon 
the  table.  At  the  same  moment  a  piercing  scream 
rose  from  the  garden. 


198     NEW    ARABIAN    NIGHTS 

"  What  have  you  done?  "  cried  Miss  Vandeleur. 
"He  is  dead!" 

The  Dictator  replied  in  a  violent  whisper,  so 
strong  and  sibilant  that  every  word  was  audible 
to  the  watcher  at  the  window. 

"  Silence !  "  said  Mr.  Vandeleur ;  "  the  man  is 
as  well  as  I  am.  Take  him  by  the  heels  whilst 
I  carry  him  by  the  shoulders." 

Francis  heard  Miss  Vandeleur  break  forth  into 
a  passion  of  tears. 

"  Do  you  hear  what  I  say  ?  "  resumed  the  Dic 
tator,  in  the  same  tones.  "  Or  do  you  wish  to 
quarrel  with  me?  I  give  you  your  choice,  Miss 
Vandeleur." 

There  was  another  pause,  and  the  Dictator  spoke 
again. 

"  Take  that  man  by  the  heels,"  he  said.  "  I  must 
have  him  brought  into  the  house.  If  I  were  a  little 
younger,  I  could  help  myself  against  the  world. 
But  now  that  years  and  dangers  are  upon  me  and 
my  hands  are  weakened,  I  must  turn  to  you  for 
aid." 

"  It  is  a  crime,"  replied  the  girl. 

"  I  am  your  father,"  said  Mr.  Vandeleur. 

This  appeal  seemed  to  produce  its  effect.  A 
scuffling  noise  followed  upon  the  gravel,  a  chair 
was  overset,  and  then  Francis  saw  the  father  and 
daughter  stagger  across  the  walk  and  disappear 
under  the  veranda,  bearing  the  inanimate  body  of 
Mr.  Rolles  embraced  about  the  knees  and  shoul 
ders.  The  young  clergyman  was  limp  and  pallid, 
and  his  head  rolled  upon  his  shoulders  at  every  step. 


NEW    ARABIAN    NIGHTS     199 

Was  he  alive  or  dead?  Francis,  in  spite  of  the 
Dictator's  declaration,  inclined  to  the  latter  view. 
A  great  crime  had  been  committed ;  a  great  calam 
ity  had  fallen  upon  the  inhabitants  of  the  house 
with  the  green  blinds.  To  his  surprise,  Francis 
found  all  horror  for  the  deed  swallowed  up  in 
sorrow  for  a  girl  and  an  old  man  whom  he 
judged  to  be  in  the  height  of  peril.  A  tide  of 
generous  feeling  swept  into  his  heart;  he,  too, 
would  help  his  father  against  man  and  mankind, 
against  fate  and  justice;  and  casting  open  the 
.shutters  he  closed  his  eyes  and  threw  himself  with 
outstretched  arms  into  the  foliage  of  the  chestnut. 

Branch  after  branch  slipped  from  his  grasp  or 
broke  under  his  weight;  then  he  caught  a  stalwart 
bough  under  his  armpit,  and  hung  suspended  for 
-i  second;  and  then  he  let  himself  drop  and  fell 
heavily  against  the  table.  A  cry  of  alarm  from 
the  house  warned  him  that  his  entrance*  had  not 
been  effected  unobserved.  He  recovered  himself 
with  a  stagger,  and  in  three  bounds  crossed  the 
intervening  space  and  stood  before  the  door  in  the 
veranda. 

In  a  small  apartment,  carpeted  with  matting  and 
surrounded  by  glazed  cabinets  full  of  rare  and 
costly  curios,  Mr.  Vandeleur  was  stooping  over  the 
body  of  Mr.  Rolles.  He  raised  himself  as  Francis 
entered,  and  there  was  an  instantaneous  passage  of 
hands.  It  was  the  business  of  a  second ;  as  fast  as 
an  eye  can  wink  the  thing  was  done;  the  young 
man  had  not  the  time  to  be  sure,  but  it  seemed  to 
him  as  if  the  Dictator  had  taken  something  from 


aoo     NEW    ARABIAN    NIGHTS 

the  curate's  breast,  looked  at  it  for  the  least  frac 
tion  of  time  as  it  lay  in  his  hand,  and  then  sud 
denly  and  swiftly  passed  it  to  his  daughter. 

All  this  was  over  while  Francis  had  still  one 
foot  upon  the  threshold,  and  the  other  raised  in 
air.  The  next  instant  he  was  on  his  knees  to 
Mr.  Vandeleur. 

"  Father !  "  he  cried.  "  Let  me  too  help  you.  I 
will  do  what  you  wish  and  ask  no  questions ;  I  will 
obey  you  with  my  life ;  treat  me  as  a  son,  and  you 
will  find  I  have  a  son's  devotion." 

A  deplorable  explosion  of  oaths  was  the  Dic 
tator's  first  reply. 

"  Son  and  Father?"  he  cried.  "Father  and 

son?  What  d d  unnatural  comedy  is  all  this? 

How  do  you  come  in  my  garden?  What  do  you 
want?  And  who,  in  God's  name,  are  you?" 

Francis,  with  a  stunned  and  shamefaced  aspect, 
got  upon  his  feet  again,  and  stood  in  silence. 

Then  a  light  seemed  to  break  upon  Mr.  Vande 
leur,  and  he  laughed  aloud. 

"  I  see,"  cried  he.  "  It  is  the  Scrymgeour.  Very 
well,  Mr.  Scrymgeour.  Let  me  tell  you  in  a  few 
words  how  you  stand.  You  have  entered  my  pri 
vate  residence  by  force,  or  perhaps  by  fraud,  but 
certainly  with  no  encouragement  from  me;  and 
you  come  at  a  moment  of  some  annoyance,  a  guest 
having  fainted  at  my  table,  to  besiege  me  with  your 
protestations.  You  are  no  son  of  mine.  You  are 
my  brother's  bastard  by  a  fishwife,  if  you  want  to 
know.  I  regard  you  with  an  indifference  closely 
bordering  on  aversion;  and  from  what  I  now  see 


NEW    ARABIAN    NIGHTS     201 

of  your  conduct,  I  judge  your  mind  to  be  exactly 
suitable  to  your  exterior.  I  recommend  you  these 
mortifying  reflections  for  your  leisure ;  and,  in  the 
meantime,  let  me  beseech  you  to  rid  us  of  your 
presence.  If  I  were  not  occupied,"  added  the  Dic 
tator,  with  a  terrifying  oath,  "  I  should  give  you 
the  unholiest  drubbing  ere  you  went !  " 

Francis  listened  in  profound  humiliation.  He 
would  have  fled  had  it  been  possible;  but  as  he 
had  no  means  of  leaving  the  residence  into  which 
he  had  so  unfortunately  penetrated,  he  could  do  no 
more  than  stand  foolishly  where  he  was. 

It  was  Miss  Vandeleur  who  broke  the  silence. 

"  Father,"  she  said,  "  you  speak  in  anger.  Mr. 
Scrymgeour  may  have  been  mistaken,  but  he  meant 
well  and  kindly/' 

"  Thank  you  for  speaking,"  returned  the  Dic 
tator.  "  You  remind  me  of  some  other  observa 
tions  which  I  hold  it  a  point  of  honour  to  make 
to  Mr.  Scrymgeour.  My  brother,"  he  continued, 
addressing  the  young  man,  "  has  been  foolish 
enough  to  give  you  an  allowance;  he  was  foolish 
enough  and  presumptuous  enough  to  propose  a 
match  between  you  and  this  young  lady.  You 
were  exhibited  to  her  two  nights  ago ;  and  I  rejoice 
to  tell  you  that  she  rejected  the  idea  with  disgust. 
Let  me  add  that  I  have  considerable  influence  with 
your  father ;  and  it  shall  not  be  my  fault  if  you  are 
not  beggared  of  your  allowance  and  sent  back  to 
your  scrivening  ere  the  week  be  out." 

The  tones  of  the  old  man's  voice  were,  if  pos 
sible,  more  wounding  than  his  language;  Francis 


202     NEW    ARABIAN    NIGHTS 

felt  himself  exposed  to  the  most  cruel,  blighting, 
and  unbearable  contempt;  his  head  turned,  and  he 
covered  his  face  with  his  hands,  uttering  at  the 
same  time  a  tearless  sob  of  agony.  But  Miss  Van- 
deleur  once  again  interfered  in  his  behalf. 

"  Mr.  Scrymgeour,"  she  said,  speaking  in  clear 
and  even  tones,  "  you  must  not  be  concerned  at  my 
father's  harsh  expressions.  I  felt  no  disgust  for 
you ;  on  the  contrary,  I  asked  an  opportunity  to 
make  your  better  acquaintance.  As  for  what  has 
passed  to-night,  believe  me  it  has  filled  my  mind 
with  both  pity  and  esteem." 

Just  then  Mr.  Rolles  made  a  convulsive  move 
ment  with  his  arm,  which  convinced  Francis  that 
he  was  only  drugged,  and  was  beginning  to  throw 
off  the  influence  of  the  opiate.  Mr.  Vandeleur 
stooped  over  him  and  examined  his  face  for  an 
instant. 

"  Come,  come ! "  cried  he,  raising  his  head. 
"  Let  there  be  an  end  of  this.  And  since  you  are 
so  pleased  with  his  conduct,  Miss  Vandeleur,  take 
a  candle  and  show  the  bastard  out." 

The  young  lady  hastened  to  obey. 

"  Thank  you,"  said  Francis,  as  soon  as  he  was 
alone  with  her  in  the  garden.  "  I  thank  you  from 
my  soul.  This  has  been  the  bitterest  evening  of 
my  life,  but  it  will  have  always  one  pleasant 
recollection." 

"  I  spoke  as  I  felt,"  she  replied,  "  and  in  justice 
to  you.  It  made  my  heart  sorry  that  you  should  be 
so  unkindly  used." 

By  this  time  they  had  reached  the  garden  gate; 


NEW    ARABIAN    NIGHTS     203 

and  Miss  Vandeleur,  having  set  the  candle  on  the 
ground,  was  already  unfastening  the  bolts. 

"  One  word  more/'  said  Francis.  "  This  is  not 
for  the  last  time  —  I  shall  see  you  again,  shall  I 
not?" 

"  Alas !  "  she  answered.  "  You  have  heard  my 
father.  What  can  I  do  but  obey  ?  " 

"  Tell  me  at  least  that  it  is  not  with  your  con 
sent,"  returned  Francis ;  "  tell  me  that  you  have  no 
wish  to  see  the  last  of  me/' 

"  Indeed,"  replied  she,  "  I  have  none.  You  seem 
to  me  both  brave  and  honest." 

"  Then,"  said  Francis,  "  give  me  a  keepsake." 

She  paused  for  a  moment,  with  her  hand  upon 
the  key;  for  the  various  bars  and  bolts  were  all 
undone,  and  there  was  nothing  left  but  to  open  the 
lock. 

"  If  I  agree,"  she  said,  "  will  you  promise  to  do 
as  I  tell  you  from  point  to  point?  " 

"  Can  you  ask?  "  replied  Francis.  "  I  would  do 
so  willingly  on  your  bare  word." 

She  turned  the  key  and  threw  open  the  door. 

"  Be  it  so,"  said  she.  "  You  do  not  know  what 
you  ask,  but  be  it  so.  Whatever  you  hear,"  she 
continued,  "  whatever  happens,  do  not  return  to 
this  house;  hurry  fast  until  you  reach  the  lighted 
and  populous  quarters  of  the  city;  even  there  be 
upon  your  guard.  You  are  in  a  greater  danger 
than  you  fancy.  Promise  me  you  will  not  so  much 
as  look  at  my  keepsake  until  you  are  in  a  place  of 
safety." 

"  I  promise,"  replied  Francis. 


204     NEW    ARABIAN    NIGHTS 

She  put  something  loosely  wrapped  in  a  hand 
kerchief  into  the  young  man's  hand;  and  at  the 
same  time,  with  more  strength  than  he  could  have 
anticipated,  she  pushed  him  into  the  street. 

"  Now  run !  "  she  cried. 

He  heard  the  door  close  behind  him,  and  the 
noise  of  the  bolts  being  replaced. 

"  My  faith,"  said  he,  "  since  I  have  promised !  " 

And  he  took  to  his  heels  down  the  lane  that  leads 
into  the  Rue  Ravignan. 

He  was  not  fifty  paces  from  the  house  with 
the  green  blinds  when  the  most  diabolical  outcry 
suddenly  arose  out  of  the  stillness  of  the  night. 
Mechanically  he  stood  still ;  another  passenger  fol 
lowed  his  example;  in  the  neighbouring  floors  he 
saw  people  crowding  to  the  windows;  a  confla 
gration  could  not  have  produced  more  disturbance 
in  this  empty  quarter.  And  yet  it  seemed  to  be  all 
the  work  of  a  single  man,  roaring  between  grief 
and  rage,  like  a  lioness  robbed  of  her  whelps ;  and 
Francis  was  surprised  and  alarmed  to  hear  his  own 
name  shouted  with  English  imprecations  to  the 
wind. 

His  first  movement  was  to  return  to  the  house; 
his  second,  as  he  remembered  Miss  Vandeleur's 
advice,  to  continue  his  flight  with  greater  expedi 
tion  than  before ;  and  he  was  in  the  act  of  turning 
to  put  his  thought  in  action,  when  the  Dictator, 
bareheaded,  bawling  aloud,  his  white  hair  blowing 
about  his  head,  shot  past  him  like  a  ball  out  of  the 
cannon's  mouth,  and  went  careering  down  the 
street. 


NEW    ARABIAN    NIGHTS     205 

"  That  was  a  close  shave,"  thought  Francis  to 
himself.  "  What  he  wants  with  me,  and  why  he 
should  be  so  disturbed,  I  cannot  think;  but  he  is 
plainly  not  good  company  for  the  moment,  and  I 
cannot  do  better  than  follow  Miss  Vandeleur's 
advice." 

So  saying,  he  turned  to  retrace  his  steps,  think 
ing  to  double  and  descend  by  the  Rue  Lepic  itself 
while  his  pursuer  should  continue  to  follow  after 
him  on  the  other  line  of  street.  The  plan  was  ill- 
advised  :  as  a  matter  of  fact,  he  should  have  taken 
his  seat  in  the  nearest  cafe,  and  waited  there  until 
the  first  heat  of  the  pursuit  was  over.  But  besides 
that  Francis  had  no  experience  and  little  natural 
aptitude  for  the  small  war  of  private  life,  he  was 
so  unconscious  of  any  evil  on  his  part,  that  he 
saw  nothing  to  fear  beyond  a  disagreeable  in 
terview.  And  to  disagreeable  interviews  he  felt 
he  had  already  served  his  apprenticeship  that 
evening;  nor  could  he  suppose  that  Miss  Van- 
deleur  had  left  anything  unsaid.  Indeed,  the 
young  man  was  sore  both  in  body  and  mind  — 
the  one  was  all  bruised,  the  other  was  full  of 
smarting  arrows;  and  he  owned  to  himself  that 
Mr.  Vandeleur  was  master  of  a  very  deadly 
tongue. 

The  thought  of  his  bruises  reminded  him  that 
he  had  not  only  come  without  a  hat,  but  that  his 
clothes  had  considerably  suffered  in  his  descent 
through  the  chestnut.  At  the  first  magazine  he 
purchased  a  cheap  wideawake,  and  had  the  disorder 
of  his  toilet  summarily  repaired.  The  keepsake, 


ao6     NEW    ARABIAN    NIGHTS 

still  rolled  in  the  handkerchief,  he  thrust  in  the 
meanwhile  into  his  trousers  pocket. 

Not  many  steps  beyond  the  shop  he  was  con 
scious  of  a  sudden  shock,  a  hand  upon  his  throat, 
an  infuriated  face  close  to  his  own,  and  an  open 
mouth  bawling  curses  in  his  ear.  The  Dictator, 
having  found  no  trace  of  his  quarry,  was  returning 
by  the  other  way.  Francis  was  a  stalwart  young 
fellow;  but  he  was  no  match  for  his  adversary 
whether  in  strength  or  skill;  and  after  a  few  in 
effectual  struggles  he  resigned  himself  entirely  to 
his  captor. 

"  What  do  you  want  with  me?  " 

"We  will  talk  of  that  at  home/'  returned  the 
Dictator,  grimly. 

And  he  continued  to  march  the  young  man  up 
hill  in  the  direction  of  the  house  with  the  green 
blinds. 

But  Francis,  although  he  no  longer  struggled, 
was  only  waiting  an  opportunity  to  make  a  bold 
push  for  freedom.  With  a  sudden  jerk  he  left 
the  collar  of  his  coat  in  the  hands  of  Mr.  Van- 
deleur,  and  once  more  made  off  at  his  best  speed 
in  the  direction  of  the  Boulevards. 

The  tables  were  now  turned.  If  the  Dictator 
was  the  stronger,  Francis,  in  the  top  of  his  youth, 
was  the  more  fleet  of  foot,  and  he  had  soon  effected 
his  escape  among  the  crowds.  Relieved  for  a  mo 
ment,  but  with  a  growing  sentiment  of  alarm  and 
wonder  in  his  mind,  he  walked  briskly  until  he 
debouched  upon  the  Place  de  TOpera,  lit  up  like 
day  with  electric  lamps. 


NEW    ARABIAN    NIGHTS     207 

"This,  at  least,"  thought  he,  "should  satisfy 
Miss  Vandeleur." 

And  turning  to  his  right  along  the  Boulevards, 
he  entered  the  Cafe  Americain  and  ordered  some 
beer.  It  was  both  late  and  early  for  the  majority 
of  the  frequenters  of  the  establishment.  Only  two 
or  three  persons,  all  men,  were  dotted  here  and 
there  at  separate  tables  in  the  hall;  and  Francis 
was  too  much  occupied  by  his  own  thoughts  to 
observe  their  presence. 

He  drew  the  handkerchief  from  his  pocket.  The 
object  wrapped  in  it  proved  to  be  a  morocco  case, 
clasped  and  ornamented  in  gilt,  which  opened  by 
means  of  a  spring,  and  disclosed  to  the  horrified 
young  man  a  diamond  of  monstrous  bigness  and 
extraordinary  brilliancy.  The  circumstance  was  so 
inexplicable,  the  value  of  the  stone  was  plainly 
so  enormous,  that  Francis  sat  staring  into  the 
open  casket  without  movement,  without  conscious 
thought,  like  a  man  stricken  suddenly  with  idiocy. 

A  hand  was  laid  upon  his  shoulder,  lightly  but 
firmly,  and  a  quiet  voice,  which  yet  had  in  it  the 
ring  of  command,  uttered  these  words  in  his  ear: 

"  Close  the  casket,  and  compose  your  face." 

Looking  up,  he  beheld  a  man,  still  young,  of  an 
urbane  and  tranquil  presence,  and  dressed  with  rich 
simplicity.  This  personage  had  risen  from  a  neigh 
bouring  table,  and  bringing  his  glass  with  him,  had 
taken  a  seat  beside  Francis. 

"  Close  the  casket,"  replied  the  stranger,  "  and 
put  it  quietly  back  into  your  pocket,  where  I  feel 
persuaded  it  should  never  have  been.  Try,  if  you 


208     NEW    ARABIAN    NIGHTS 

please,  to  throw  off  your  bewildered  air,  and  act 
as  though  I  were  one  of  your  acquaintances  whom 
you  had  met  by  chance.  So!  Touch  glasses  with 
me.  That  is  better.  I  fear,  sir,  you  must  be  an 
amateur." 

And  the  stranger  pronounced  these  last  words 
with  a  smile  of  peculiar  meaning,  leaned  back 
in  his  seat  and  enjoyed  a  deep  inhalation  of 
tobacco. 

"  For  God's  sake,"  said  Francis,  "  tell  me  who 
you  are  and  what  this  means  ?  Why  I  should  obey 
your  most  unusual  suggestions  I  am  sure  I  know 
not ;  but  the  truth  is,  I  have  fallen  this  evening  into 
so  many  perplexing  adventures,  and  all  I  meet  con 
duct  themselves  so  strangely,  that  I  think  I  must 
either  have  gone  mad  or  wandered  into  another 
planet.  Your  face  inspires  me  with  confidence; 
you  seem  wise,  good,  and  experienced;  tell  me, 
for  heaven's  sake,  why  you  accost  me  in  so  odd  a 
fashion?" 

"  All  in  due  time,"  replied  the  stranger.  "  But 
I  have  the  first  hand,  and  you  must  begin  by  tell 
ing  me  how  the  Rajah's  Diamond  is  in  your 
possession." 

"The  Rajah's  Diamond!" 

"  I  would  not  speak  so  loud,  if  I  were  you," 
returned  the  other.  "  But  most  certainly  you  have 
the  Rajah's  Diamond  in  your  pocket.  I  have  seen 
and  handled  it  a  score  of  times  in  Sir  Thomas 
Vandeleur's  collection." 

"  Sir  Thomas  Vandeleur !  The  General !  My 
father!" 


NEW    ARABIAN    NIGHTS     209 

"  Your  father  ?  "  repeated  the  stranger.  "  I  was 
not  aware  the  General  had  any  family." 

"  I  am  illegitimate,  sir,"  replied  Francis  with  a 
flush. 

The  other  bowed  with  gravity.  It  was  a  re 
spectful  bow,  as  of  a  man  silently  apologising  to 
his  equal ;  and  Francis  felt  relieved  and  comforted, 
he  scarce  knew  why.  The  society  of  this  person 
did  him  good ;  he  seemed  to  touch  firm  ground ;  a 
strong  feeling  of  respect  grew  up  in  his  bosom, 
and  mechanically  he  removed  his  wideawake  as 
though  in  the  presence  of  a  superior. 

"  I  perceive,"  said  the  stranger,  "  that  your  ad 
ventures  have  not  all  been  peaceful.  Your  collar  is 
torn,  your  face  is  scratched,  you  have  a  cut  upon 
your  temple ;  you  will,  perhaps,  pardon  my  curiosity 
when  I  ask  you  to  explain  how  you  came  by  these 
injuries,  and  how  you  happen  to  have  stolen  prop 
erty  to  an  enormous  value  in  your  pocket." 

"I  must  differ  from  you!"  returned  Francis 
hotly.  "  I  possess  no  stolen  property.  And  if  you 
refer  to  the  diamond,  it  was  given  to  me  not  an 
hour  ago  by  Miss  Vandeleur  in  the  Rue  Lepic." 

"By  Miss  Vandeleur  of  the  Rue  Lepic!"  re 
peated  the  other.  '  You  interest  me  more  than 
you  suppose.  Pray  continue." 

"  Heavens !  "  cried  Francis. 

His  memory  had  made  a  sudden  bound.  He  had 
seen  Mr.  Vandeleur  take  an  article  from  the  breast 
of  his  drugged  visitor,  and  that  article,  he  was  now 
persuaded,  was  a  morocco  case. 

"  You  have  a  light  ?  "  inquired  the  stranger. 

VOL.    III.  —  14 


aio     NEW    ARABIAN    NIGHTS 

"  Listen,"  said  Francis.  "  I  know  not  who  you 
are,  but  I  believe  you  to  be  worthy  of  confidence 
and  helpful;  I  find  myself  in  strange  waters;  I 
must  have  counsel  and  support,  and  since  you  in 
vite  me  I  shall  tell  you  all." 

And  he  briefly  recounted  his  experience  since 
the  day  when  he  was  summoned  from  the  bank 
by  his  lawyer. 

"  Yours  is  indeed  a  remarkable  history,"  said 
the  stranger,  after  the  young  man  had  made  an 
end  of  his  narrative ;  "  and  your  position  is  full 
of  difficulty  and  peril.  Many  would  counsel  you 
to  seek  out  your  father,  and  give  the  diamond  to 
him ;  but  I  have  other  views.  Waiter !  "  he  cried. 

The  waiter  drew  near. 

"  Will  you  ask  the  manager  to  speak  with  me 
a  moment  ?  "  said  he ;  and  Francis  observed  once 
more,  both  in  his  tone  and  manner,  the  evidence 
of  a  habit  of  command. 

The  waiter  withdrew,  and  returned  in  a  moment 
with  the  manager,  who  bowed  with  obsequious 
respect. 

"  What,"  said  he,  "  can  I  do  to  serve  you?  " 

"  Have  the  goodness,"  replied  the  stranger,  in 
dicating  Francis,  "  to  tell  this  gentleman  my  name." 

"  You  have  the  honour,  sir,"  said  the  function 
ary,  addressing  young  Scrymgeour,  "  to  occupy 
the  same  table  with  His  Highness  Prince  Florizel 
of  Bohemia." 

Francis  rose  with  precipitation,  and  made  a 
grateful  reverence  to  the  Prince,  who  bade  him 
resume  his  seat 


NEW    ARABIAN    NIGHTS     211 

"  I  thank  you,"  said  Florizel,  once  more  address 
ing  the  functionary ;  "  I  am  sorry  to  have  deranged 
you  for  so  small  a  matter." 

And  he  dismissed  him  with  a  movement  of  his 
hand. 

"  And  now,"  added  the  Prince,  turning  to 
Francis,  "  give  me  the  diamond." 

Without  a  word  the  casket  was  handed  over. 

'  You  have  done  right,"  said  Florizel ;  "  your 
sentiments  have  properly  inspired  you,  and  you 
will  live  to  be  grateful  for  the  misfortunes  of  to 
night.  A  man,  Mr.  Scrymgeour,  may  fall  into  a 
thousand  perplexities,  but  if. his  heart  be  upright 
and  his  intelligence  unclouded,  he  will  issue  from 
them  all  without  dishonour.  Let  your  mind  be  at 
rest ;  your  affairs  are  in  my  hands ;  and  with  the 
aid  of  heaven  I  am  strong  enough  to  bring  them 
to  a  good  end.  Follow  me,  if  you  please,  to  my 
carriage." 

So  saying,  the  Prince  arose  and,  having  left  a 
piece  of  gold  for  the  waiter,  conducted  the  young 
man  from  the  cafe  and  along  the  Boulevard  to 
where  an  unpretentious  brougham  and  a  couple  of 
servants  out  of  livery  awaited  his  arrival. 

"  This  carriage,"  said  he,  "  is  at  your  disposal ; 
collect  your  baggage  as  rapidly  as  you  can  make 
it  convenient,  and  my  servants  will  conduct  you  to 
a  villa  in  the  neighbourhood  of  Paris,  where  you 
can  wait  in  some  degree  of  comfort  until  I  have 
had  time  to  arrange  your  situation.  You  will  find 
there  a  pleasant  garden,  a  library  of  good  authors, 
a  cook,  a  cellar,  and  some  good  cigars,  which  I 


212     NEW    ARABIAN    NIGHTS 

recommend  to  your  attention.  Jerome,"  he  added, 
turning  to  one  of  the  servants,  "  you  have  heard 
what  I  say;  I  leave  Mr.  Scrymgeour  in  your 
charge;  you  will,  I  know,  be  careful  of  my 
friend." 

Francis  uttered  some  broken  phrases  of  grati 
tude. 

"  It  will  be  time  enough  to  thank  me/'  said  the 
Prince,  "  when  you  are  acknowledged  by  your 
father  and  married  to  Miss  Vandeleur." 

And  with  that  the  Prince  turned  away  and 
strolled  leisurely  in  the  direction  of  Montmartre. 
He  hailed  the  first  passing  cab,  gave  an  address, 
and  a  quarter  of  an  hour  afterwards,  having  dis 
charged  the  driver  some  distance  lower,  he  was 
knocking  at  Mr.  Vandeleur's  garden  gate. 

It  was  opened  with  singular  precautions  by  the 
Dictator  in  person. 

"  Who  are  you  ?  "  he  demanded. 

"  You  must  pardon  me  this  late  visit,  Mr.  Van 
deleur,"  replied  the  Prince. 

"  Your  Highness  is  always  welcome,"  returned 
Mr.  Vandeleur,  stepping  back. 

The  Prince  profited  by  the  open  space,  and  with 
out  waiting  for  his  host  walked  right  into  the  house 
and  opened  the  door  of  the  salon.  Two  people 
were  seated  there;  one  was  Miss  Vandeleur,  who 
bore  the  marks  of  weeping  about  her  eyes,  and  was 
still  shaken  from  time  to  time  by  a  sob;  in  the 
other  the  Prince  recognised  the  young  man  who 
had  consulted  him  on  literary  matters  about  a 
month  before,  in  a  club  smoking-room. 


NEW    ARABIAN    NIGHTS     213 

"  Good-evening,  Miss  Vandeleur,"  said  Florizel ; 
"  you  look  fatigued.  Mr.  Rolles,  I  believe?  I  hope 
you  have  profited  by  the  study  of  Gaboriau,  Mr. 
Rolles." 

But  the  young  clergyman's  temper  was  too  much 
embittered  for  speech;  and  he  contented  himself 
with  bowing  stiffly,  and  continued  to  gnaw  his 

HP. 

'*  To  what  good  wind,"  said  Mr.  Vandeleur,  fol 
lowing  his  guest,  "  am  I  to  attribute  the  honour  of 
your  Highness's  presence?" 

"  I  am  come  on  business,"  returned  the  Prince; 
"  on  business  with  you ;  as  soon  as  that  is  settled 
I  shall  request  Mr.  Rolles  to  accompany  me  for  a 
walk.  Mr.  Rolles,"  he  added,  with  severity,  "  let 
me  remind  you  that  I  have  not  yet  sat  down." 

The  clergyman  sprang  to  his  feet  with  an  apol 
ogy;  whereupon  the  Prince  took  an  arm-chair 
beside  the  table,  handed  his  hat  to  Mr.  Vandeleur, 
his  cane  to  Mr.  Rolles,  and,  leaving  them  standing 
and  thus  menially  employed  upon  his  service,  spoke 
as  follows : 

"  I  have  come  here,  as  I  said,  upon  business ; 
but,  had  I  come  looking  for  pleasure,  I  could  not 
have  been  more  displeased  with  my  reception  nor 
more  dissatisfied  with  my  company.  You,  sir," 
addressing  Mr.  Rolles,  "  you  have  treated  your 
superior  in  station  with  discourtesy;  you,  Vande 
leur,  receive  me  with  a  smile,  but  you  know  right 
well  that  your  hands  are  not  yet  cleansed  from 
misconduct.  I  do  not  desire  to  be  interrupted, 
sir,"  he  added  imperiously ;  "  I  am  here  to  speak, 


214     NEW    ARABIAN    NIGHTS 

and  not  to  listen;  and  I  have  to  ask  you  to  hear 
me  with  respect,  and  to  obey  punctiliously.  At 
the  earliest  possible  date  your  daughter  shall  be 
married  at  the  Embassy  to  my  friend,  Francis 
Scrymgeour,  your  brother's  acknowledged  son. 
You  will  oblige  me  by  offering  not  less  than  ten 
thousand  pounds  dowry.  For  yourself,  I  will  indi 
cate  to  you  in  writing  a  mission  of  some  impor 
tance  in  Siam  which  I  destine  to  your  care.  And 
now,  sir,  you  will  answer  me  in  two  words  whether 
or  not  you  agree  to  these  conditions." 

"  Your  Highness  will  pardon  me,"  said  Mr. 
Vandeleur,  "  and  permit  me,  with  all  respect,  to 
submit  to  him  two  queries  ?  " 

1  The  permission  is  granted,"  replied  the  Prince. 

"  Your  Highness,"  resumed  the  Dictator,  "  has 
called  Mr.  Scrymgeour  his  friend.  Believe  me, 
had  I  known  that  he  was  thus  honoured,  I  should 
have  treated  him  with  proportional  respect." 

"You  interrogate  adroitly,"  said  the  Prince; 
"  but  it  will  not  serve  your  turn.  You  have  my 
commands;  if  I  had  never  seen  that  gentleman 
before  to-night,  it  would  not  render  them  less 
absolute." 

"  Your  Highness  interprets  my  meaning  with 
his  usual  subtlety,"  returned  Vandeleur.  "  Once 
more:  I  have,  unfortunately,  put  the  police  upon 
the  track  of  Mr.  Scrymgeour  on  a  charge  of  theft ; 
am  I  to  withdraw  or  to  uphold  the  accusation  ?  " 

"  You  will  please  yourself,"  replied  Florizel. 
"  The  question  is  one  between  your  conscience  and 
the  laws  of  this  land.  Give  me  my  hat ;  and  you, 


NEW    ARABIAN    NIGHTS     215 

Mr.  Rolles,  give  me  my  cane  and  follow  me.  Miss 
Vandeleur,  I  wish  you  good-evening.  I  judge," 
he  added  to  Vandeleur,  "  that  your  silence  means 
unqualified  assent." 

"  If  I  can  do  no  better,"  replied  the  old  man, 
"  I  shall  submit ;  but  I  warn  you  openly  it  shall 
not  be  without  a  struggle." 

"  You  are  old,"  said  the  Prince;  "  but  years  are 
disgraceful  to  the  wicked.  Your  age  is  more  un 
wise  than  the  youth  of  others.  Do  not  provoke 
me,  or  you  may  find  me  harder  than  you  dream. 
This  is  the  first  time  that  I  have  fallen  across  your 
path  in  anger;  take  care  that  it  be  the  last." 

With  these  words,  motioning  the  clergyman  to 
follow,  Florizel  left  the  apartment  and  directed  his 
steps  towards  the  garden  gate;  and  the  Dictator, 
following  with  a  candle,  gave  them  light,  and  once 
more  undid  the  elaborate  fastenings  with  which  he 
sought  to  protect  himself  from  intrusion. 

'  Your  daughter  is  no  longer  present,"  said  the 
Prince,  turning  on  the  threshold.  "  Let  me  tell 
you  that  I  understand  your  threats;  and  you  have 
only  to  lift  your  hand  to  bring  upon  yourself  sud 
den  and  irremediable  ruin." 

The  Dictator  made  no  reply;  but  as  the  Prince 
turned  his  back  upon  him  in  the  lamplight  he  made 
a  gesture  full  of  menace  and  insane  fury;  and  the 
next  moment,  slipping  round  a  corner,  he  was  run 
ning  at  full  speed  for  the  nearest  cab-stand. 

(Here,  says  my  Arabian,  the  thread  of  events 
is  finally  diverted  from  THE  HOUSE  WITH  THE 


216     NEW    ARABIAN    NIGHTS 

GREEN  BLINDS.  One  more  adventure,  he  adds, 
and  we  have  done  with  THE  RAJAH'S  DIAMOND. 
That  last  link  in  the  chain  is  known  among  the  in 
habitants  of  Bagdad  by  the  name  of  THE  ADVEN 
TURE  OF  PRINCE  FLORIZEL  AND  THE  DETECTIVE.) 


THE  ADVENTURE  OF  PRINCE  FLORIZEL  AND 
THE   DETECTIVE 

PRINCE  FLORIZEL  walked  with  Mr.  Rolles 
to  the  door  of  a  small  hotel  where  the  latter 
resided.  They  spoke  much  together,  and 
the  clergyman  was  more  than  once  affected  to  tears 
by  the  mingled  severity  and  tenderness  of  Florizel's 
reproaches. 

"  I  have  made  ruin  of  my  life,"  he  said  at  last. 
"  Help  me ;  tell  me  what  I  am  to  do ;  I  have,  alas ! 
neither  the  virtues  of  a  priest  nor  the  dexterity  of 
a  rogue." 

"  Now  that  you  are  humbled,"  said  the  Prince,  "I 
command  no  longer ;  the  repentant  have  to  do  with 
God  and  not  with  princes.  But  if  you  will  let  me 
advise  you,  go  to  Australia  as  a  colonist,  seek 
menial  labour  in  the  open  air,  and  try  to  forget  that 
you  have  ever  been  a  clergyman,  or  that  you  ever 
set  eyes  on  that  accursed  stone." 

"  Accurst  indeed !  "  replied  Mr.  Rolles.  "  Where 
is  it  now?  What  further  hurt  is  it  not  working 
for  mankind  ?  " 

"  It  will  do  no  more  evil,"  returned  the  Prince. 
"  It  is  here  in  my  pocket.  And  this,"  he  added, 
kindly,  "  will  show  that  I  place  some  faith  in  your 
penitence,  young  as  it  is." 


ai8     NEW    ARABIAN    NIGHTS 

"  Suffer  me  to  touch  your  hand,"  pleaded  Mr. 
Rolles. 

"  No,"  replied  Prince  Florizel,  "  not  yet." 

The  tone  in  which  he  uttered  these  last  words 
was  eloquent  in  the  ears  of  the  young  clergyman; 
and  for  some  minutes  after  the  Prince  had  turned 
away  he  stood  on  the  threshold  following  with  his 
eyes  the  retreating  figure,  and  invoking  the  bless 
ing  of  heaven  upon  a  man  so  excellent  in  counsel. 

For  several  hours  the  Prince  walked  alone  in 
unfrequented  streets.  His  mind  was  full  of  con 
cern;  what  to  do  with  the  diamond,  whether  to 
return  it  to  its  owner,  whom  he  judged  unworthy 
of  this  rare  possession,  or  to  take  some  sweeping 
and  courageous  measure  and  put  it  out  of  the  reach 
of  all  mankind  at  once  and  for  ever,  was  a  problem 
too  grave  to  be  decided  in  a  moment.  The  manner 
in  which  it  had  come  into  his  hands  appeared  mani 
festly  providential;  and  as  he  took  out  the  jewel 
and  looked  at  it  under  the  street  lamps,  its  size  and 
surprising  brilliancy  inclined  him  more  and  more 
to  think  of  it  as  an  unmixed  and  dangerous  evil 
for  the  world. 

"God  help  me!"  he  thought;  "if  I  look  at  it 
much  oftener  I  shall  begin  to  grow  covetous 
myself." 

At  last,  though  still  uncertain  in  his  mind,  he 
turned  his  steps  towards  the  small  but  elegant 
mansion  on  the  river-side,  which  had  belonged  for 
centuries  to  his  royal  family.  The  arms  of  Bohe 
mia  are  deeply  graved  over  the  door  and  upon  the 
tall  chimneys ;  passengers  have  a  look  into  a  green 


NEW    ARABIAN    NIGHTS     219 

court  set  with  the  most  costly  flowers,  and  a  stork, 
the  only  one  in  Paris,  perches  on  the  gable  all  day 
long  and  keeps  a  crowd  before  the  house.  Grave 
servants  are  seen  passing  to  and  fro  within;  and 
from  time  to  time  the  great  gate  is  thrown  open 
and  a  carriage  rolls  below  the  arch.  For  many 
reasons  this  residence  was  especially  dear  to  the 
heart  of  Prince  Florizel;  he  never  drew  near  to 
it  without  enjoying  that  sentiment  of  home-com 
ing  so  rare  in  the  lives  of  the  great;  and  on  the 
present  evening  he  beheld  its  tall  roof  and  mildly 
illuminated  windows  with  unfeigned  relief  and 
satisfaction. 

As  he  was  approaching  the  postern  door  by 
which  he  always  entered  when  alone,  a  man  stepped 
forth  from  the  shadow  and  presented  himself  with 
an  obeisance  in  the  Prince's  path. 

"  I  have  the  honour  of  addressing  Prince  Flori 
zel  of  Bohemia?  "  said  he. 

"  Such  is  my  title,"  replied  the  Prince.  "  What 
do  you  want  with  me  ?  " 

"  I  am/'  said  the  man,  "  a  detective,  and  I  have 
to  present  your  Highness  with  this  billet  from  the 
Prefect  of  Police." 

The  Prince  took  the  letter  and  glanced  it  through 
by  the  light  of  the  street  lamp.  It  was  highly  apol 
ogetic,  but  requested  him  to  follow  the  bearer  to 
the  Prefecture  without  delay. 

"  In  short,"  said  Florizel,  "  I  am  arrested." 

"  Your  Highness,"  replied  the  officer,  "  nothing, 
I  am  certain,  could  be  further  from  the  intention 
of  the  Prefect.  You  will  observe  that  he  has  not 


220     NEW    ARABIAN    NIGHTS 

granted  a  warrant.  It  is  mere  formality,  or  call 
it,  if  you  prefer,  an  obligation  that  your  Highness 
lays  on  the  authorities." 

"  At  the  same  time,"  asked  the  Prince,  "  if  I 
were  to  refuse  to  follow  you?" 

"  I  will  not  conceal  from  your  Highness  that  a 
considerable  discretion  has  been  granted  me,"  re 
plied  the  detective  with  a  bow. 

"  Upon  my  word,"  cried  Florizel,  "  your  effront 
ery  confounds  me!  Yourself,  as  an  agent,  I  must 
pardon;  but  your  superiors  shall  dearly  smart  for 
their  misconduct.  What,  have  you  any  idea,  is  the 
cause  of  this  impolitic  and  unconstitutional  act? 
You  will  observe  that  I  have  as  yet  neither  re 
fused  nor  consented  and  much  may  depend  on  your 
prompt  and  ingenuous  answer.  Let  me  remind 
you,  officer,  that  this  is  an  affair  of  some  gravity." 

"  Your  Highness,"  said  the  detective  humbly, 
"  General  Vandeleur  and  his  brother  have  had  the 
incredible  presumption  to  accuse  you  of  theft. 
The  famous  diamond,  they  declare,  is  in  your 
hands.  A  word  from  you  in  denial  will  most 
amply  satisfy  the  Prefect;  nay,  I  go  farther:  if 
your  Highness  would  so  far  honour  a  subaltern 
as  to  declare  his  ignorance  of  the  matter  even  to 
myself,  I  should  ask  permission  to  retire  upon  the 
spot." 

Florizel,  up  to  the  last  moment,  had  regarded 
his  adventure  in  the  light  of  a  trifle,  only  serious 
upon  international  considerations.  At  the  name 
of  Vandeleur  the  horrible  truth  broke  upon  him 
in  a  moment;  he  was  not  only  arrested,  but  he 


NEW    ARABIAN    NIGHTS     221 

was  guilty.  This  was  not  only  an  annoying  inci 
dent  —  it  was  a  peril  to  his  honour.  What  was 
he  to  say?  What  was  he  to  do?  The  Rajah's 
Diamond  was  indeed  an  accursed  stone;  and  it 
seemed  as  if  he  were  to  be  the  last  victim  to  its 
influence. 

One  thing  was  certain.  He  could  not  give  the 
required  assurance  to  the  detective.  He  must  gain 
time. 

His  hesitation  had  not  lasted  a  second. 

"  Be  it  so,"  said  he,  "  let  us  walk  together  to  the 
Prefecture." 

The  man  once  more  bowed,  and  proceeded  to 
follow  Florizel  at  a  respectful  distance  in  the  rear. 

"  Approach,"  said  the  Prince.  "  I  am  in  a 
humour  to  talk,  and,  if  I  mistake  not,  now  I  look 
at  you  again,  this  is  not  the  first  time  that  we  have 
met." 

"  I  count  it  an  honour,"  replied  the  officer,  "  that 
your  Highness  should  recollect  my  face.  It  is  eight 
years  since  I  had  the  pleasure  of  an  interview." 

1  To  remember  faces,"  returned  Florizel,  "  is  as 
much  a  part  of  my  profession  as  it  is  of  yours. 
Indeed,  rightly  looked  upon,  a  Prince  and  a  detec 
tive  serve  in  the  same  corps.  We  are  both  com 
batants  against  crime;  only  mine  is  the  more 
lucrative  and  yours  the  more  dangerous  rank,  and 
there  is  a  sense  in  which  both  may  be  made  equally 
honourable  to  a  good  man.  I  had  rather,  strange 
as  you  may  think  it,  be  a  detective  of  character 
and  parts  than  a  weak  and  ignoble  sovereign." 

The  officer  was  overwhelmed. 


222     NEW    ARABIAN    NIGHTS 

"  Your  Highness  returns  good  for  evil,"  said  he. 
"  To  an  act  of  presumption  he  replies  by  the  most 
amiable  condescension." 

"  How  do  you  know,"  replied  Florizel,  "  that  I 
am  not  seeking  to  corrupt  you  ?  " 

"  Heaven  preserve  me  from  the  temptation  I  " 
cried  the  detective. 

"  I  applaud  your  answer,"  returned  the  Prince. 
"  It  is  that  of  a  wise  and  honest  man.  The  world 
is  a  great  place,  and  stocked  with  wealth  and 
beauty,  and  there  is  no  limit  to  the  rewards  that 
may  be  offered.  Such  an  one  who  would  refuse 
a  million  of  money  may  sell  his  honour  for  an 
empire  or  the  love  of  a  woman;  and  I  myself, 
who  speak  to  you,  have  seen  occasions  so  tempt 
ing,  provocations  so  irresistible  to  the  strength  of 
human  virtue,  that  I  have  been  glad  to  tread  in 
your  steps  and  recommend  myself  to  the  grace  of 
God.  It  is  thus,  thanks  to  that  modest  and  becom 
ing  habit  alone,"  he  added,  "  that  you  and  I  can 
walk  this  town  together  with  untarnished  hearts." 

"  I  had  always  heard  that  you  were  brave," 
replied  the  officer,  "  but  I  was  not  aware  that  you 
were  wise  and  pious.  You  speak  the  truth,  and 
you  speak  it  with  an  accent  that  moves  me  to  the 
heart.  This  world  is  indeed  a  place  of  trial." 

"  We  are  now,"  said  Florizel,  "  in  the  middle 
of  the  bridge.  Lean  your  elbows  on  the  parapet 
and  look  over.  As  the  water  rushing  below,  so 
the  passions  and  complications  of  life  carry  away 
the  honesty  of  weak  men.  Let  me  tell  you  a 
story." 


NEW    ARABIAN    NIGHTS     223 

"  I  receive  your  Highnesses  commands,"  replied 
the  man. 

And,  imitating  the  Prince,  he  leaned  against  the 
parapet,  and  disposed  himself  to  listen.  The  city 
was  already  sunk  in  slumber;  had  it  not  been  for 
the  infinity  of  lights  and  the  outline  of  buildings 
on  the  starry  sky,  they  might  have  been  alone 
beside  some  country  river. 

"  An  officer,"  began  Prince  Florizel,  "  a  man  of 
courage  and  conduct,  who  had  already  risen  by 
merit  to  an  eminent  rank,  and  won  not  only  ad 
miration  but  respect,  visited,  in  an  unfortunate 
hour  for  his  peace  of  mind,  the  collections  of  an 
Indian  Prince.  Here  he  beheld  a  diamond  so  ex 
traordinary  for  size  and  beauty  that  from  that 
instant  he  had  only  one  desire  in  life :  honour, 
reputation,  friendship,  the  love  of  country,  he  was 
ready  to  sacrifice  all  for  this  lump  of  sparkling 
crystal.  For  three  years  he  served  this  semi-bar 
barian  potentate  as  Jacob  served  Laban;  he  fal 
sified  frontiers,  he  connived  at  murders,  he  unjustly 
condemned  and  executed  a  brother-officer  who  had 
the  misfortune  to  displease  the  Rajah  by  some 
honest  freedoms ;  lastly,  at  a  time  of  great  danger 
to  his  native  land,  he  betrayed  a  body  of  his  fellow- 
soldiers  and  suffered  them  to  be  defeated  and  mas 
sacred  by  thousands.  In  the  end  he  had  amassed 
a  magnificent  fortune,  and  brought  home  with  him 
the  coveted  diamond. 

"  Years  passed,"  continued  the  Prince,  "  and  at 
length  the  diamond  is  accidentally  lost.  It  falls 
into  the  hands  of  a  simple  and  laborious  youth,  a 


224     NEW    ARABIAN    NIGHTS 

student,  a  minister  of  God,  just  entering  on  a  career 
of  usefulness  and  even  distinction.  Upon  him  also 
the  spell  is  cast;  he  deserts ' everything,  his  holy 
calling,  his  studies,  and  flees  with  the  gem  into  a 
foreign  country.  The  officer  has  a  brother,  an 
astute,  daring,  unscrupulous  man,  who  learns  the 
clergyman's  secret.  What  does  he  do?  Tell  his 
brother,  inform  the  police?  No;  upon  this  man 
also  the  Satanic  charm  has  fallen;  he  must  have 
the  stone  for  himself.  At  the  risk  of  murder,  he 
drugs  the  young  priest  and  seizes  the  prey.  And 
now,  by  an  accident  which  is  not  important  to  my 
moral,  the  jewel  passes  out  of  his  custody  into  that 
of  another,  who,  terrified  at  what  he  sees,  gives  it 
into  the  keeping  of  a  man  in  high  station  and  above 
reproach. 

"  The  officer's  name  is  Thomas  Vandeleur,"  con* 
tinued  Florizel.  "  The  stone  is  called  the  Rajah's 
Diamond.  And  "  —  suddenly  opening  his  hand  — 
"  you  behold  it  here  before  your  eyes." 

The  officer  started  back  with  a  cry. 

"  We  have  spoken  of  corruption/'  said  the 
Prince.  "  To  me  this  nugget  of  bright  crystal 
is  as  loathsome  as  though  it  were  crawling  with 
the  worms  of  death ;  it  is  as  shocking  as  though  it 
were  compacted  out  of  innocent  blood.  I  see  it 
here  in  my  hand,  and  I  know  it  is  shining  with 
hell-fire.  I  have  told  you  but  a  hundredth  part 
of  its  story;  what  passed  in  former  ages,  to  what 
crimes  and  treacheries  it  incited  men  of  yore,  the 
imagination  trembles  to  conceive;  for  years  and 
years  it  has  faithfully  served  the  powers  of  hell; 


NEW    ARABIAN    NIGHTS     225 

enough,  I  say,  of  blood,  enough  of  disgrace, 
enough  of  broken  lives  and  friendships ;  all  things 
come  to  an  end,  the  evil  like  the  good ;  pestilence 
as  well  as  beautiful  music ;  and  as  for  this  diamond, 
God  forgive  me  if  I  do  wrong,  but  its  empire  ends 
to-night." 

The  Prince  made  a  sudden  movement  with  his 
hand,  and  the  jewel,  describing  an  arc  of  light, 
dived  with  a  splash  into  the  flowing  river. 

"  Amen,"  said  Florizel,  with  gravity.  "  I  have 
slain  a  cockatrice!  " 

"  God  pardon  me  !  "  cried  the  detective.  "  What 
have  you  done?  I  am  a  ruined  man." 

"  I  think,"  returned  the  Prince,  with  a  smile, 
"  that  many  well-to-do  people  in  this  city  might 
envy  you  your  ruin." 

"  Alas  I  your  Highness !  "  said  the  officer,  "  and 
you  corrupt  me  after  all?" 

"  It  seems  there  was  no  help  for  it,"  replied 
Florizel.  "  And  now  let  us  go  forward  to  the 
Prefecture." 

Not  long  after,  the  marriage  of  Francis  Scrym- 
geour  and  Miss  Vandeleur  was  celebrated  in  great 
privacy;  and  the  Prince  acted  on  that  occasion  as 
groom's  man.  The  two  Vandeleurs  surprised 
some  rumour  of  what  had  happened  to  the  dia 
mond;  and  their  vast  diving  operations  on  the 
River  Seine  are  the  wonder  and  amusement  of 
the  idle.  It  is  true  that  through  some  miscalcula 
tion  they  have  chosen  the  wrong  branch  of  the 
river.  As  for  the  Prince,  that  sublime  person, 
VOL.  in.  — 15 


226     NEW    ARABIAN    NIGHTS 

having  now  served  his  turn,  may  go,  along  with 
the  Arabian  Author,  topsy-turvy  into  space.  But 
if  the  reader  insists  on  more  specific  information, 
I  am  happy  to  say  that  a  recent  revolution  hurled 
him  from  the  throne  of  Bohemia,  in  consequence 
of  his  continued  absence  and  edifying  neglect  of 
public  business ;  and  that  his  Highness  now  keeps 
a  cigar  store  in  Rupert  Street,  much  frequented 
by  other  foreign  refugees. 

I  go  there  from  time  to  time  to  smoke  and  have 
a  chat,  and  find  him  as  great  a  creature  as  in  the 
days  of  his  prosperity;  he  has  an  Olympian  air 
behind  the  counter;  and  although  a  sedentary  life 
is  beginning  to  tell  upon  his  waistcoat,  he  is  prob 
ably,  take  him  for  all  in  all,  the  handsomest  tobac 
conist  in  London. 


THE    PAVILION    ON    THE    LINKS 

INSCRIBED   TO 

D.  A.  S. 
IN  MEMORY   OF  DAYS   NEAR   FIDRA 


THE    PAVILION    ON    THE    LINKS 


CHAPTER   I 

TELLS  HOW  I  CAMPED  IN  GRADEN  SEA- 
WOOD,  AND  BEHELD  A  LIGHT  IN  THE 
PAVILION 

I  WAS  a  great  solitary  when  I  was  young.  \ 
made  it  my  pride  to  keep  aloof  and  suffice 
for  my  own  entertainment;  and  I  may  say 
that  I  had  neither  friends  nor  acquaintances  until 
I  met  that  friend  who  became  my  wife  and  the 
mother  of  my  children.  With  one  man  only  was 
I  on  private  terms;  this  was  R.  Northmour,  Es 
quire,  of  Graden  Easter,  in  Scotland.  We  had 
met  at  college;  and  though  there  was  not  much 
liking  between  us,  nor  even  much  intimacy,  we 
were  so  nearly  of  a  humour  that  we  could  asso 
ciate  with  ease  to  both.  Misanthropes,  we  believed 
ourselves  to  be;  but  I  have  thought  since  that  we 
were  only  sulky  fellows.  It  was  scarcely  a  com 
panionship,  but  a  coexistence  in  unsociability. 
Northmour's  exceptional  violence  of  temper  made 
it  no  easy  affair  for  him  to  keep  the  peace  with 
any  one  but  me;  and  as  he  respected  my  silent 
ways,  and  let  me  come  and  go  as  I  pleased, 
I  could  tolerate  his  presence  without  concern.  I 
think  we  called  each  other  friends. 


NEW    ARABIAN    NIGHTS 

When  Northmour  took  his  degree  and  I  decided 
to  leave  the  university  without  one,  he  invited  me 
on  a  long  visit  to  Graden  Easter;  and  it  was  thus 
that  I  first  became  acquainted  with  the  scene  of 
my  adventures.  The  mansion  house  of  Graden 
stood  in  a  bleak  stretch  of  country  some  three 
miles  from  the  shore  of  the  German  Ocean.  It 
was  as  large  as  a  barrack;  and  as  it  had  been 
built  of  a  soft  stone,  liable  to  consume  in  the  eager 
air  of  the  sea-side,  it  was  damp  and  draughty  within 
and  half  ruinous  without.  It  was  impossible  for 
two  young  men  to  lodge  with  comfort  in  such  a 
dwelling.  But  there  stood  in  the  northern  part 
of  the  estate,  in  a  wilderness  of  links  and  blowing 
sand-hills,  and  between  a  plantation  and  the  sea, 
a  small  Pavilion  or  Belvedere,  of  modern  design, 
which  was  exactly  suited  to  our  wants;  and  in 
this  hermitage,  speaking  little,  reading  much,  and 
rarely  associating  except  at  meals,  Northmour  and 
I  spent  four  tempestuous  winter  months.  I  might 
have  stayed  longer;  but  one  March  night  there 
sprang  up  between  us  a  dispute,  which  rendered 
my  departure  necessary.  Northmour  spoke  hotly, 
I  remember,  and  I  suppose  I  must  have  made  some 
tart  rejoinder.  He  leaped  from  his  chair  and 
grappled  me ;  I  had  to  fight,  without  exaggeration, 
for  my  life;  and  it  was  only  with  a  great  effort 
that  I  mastered  him,  for  he  was  near  as  strong  in 
body  as  myself,  and  seemed  filled  with  the  devil. 
The  next  morning,  we  met  on  our  usual  terms; 
but  I  judged  it  more  delicate  to  withdraw;  nor 
did  he  attempt  to  dissuade  me. 


NEW    ARABIAN    NIGHTS     231 

It  was  nine  years  before  I  revisited  the  neigh 
bourhood.  I  travelled  at  that  time  with  a  tilt  cart, 
a  tent,  and  a  cooking-stove,  tramping  all  day  beside 
the  wagon,  and  at  night,  whenever  it  was  possible, 
gipsying  in  a  cove  of  the  hills,  or  by  the  side  of  a 
wood.  I  believe  I  visited  in  this  manner  most  of 
the  wild  and  desolate  regions  both  in  England  and 
Scotland;  and,  as  I  had  neither  friends  nor  rela 
tions,  I  was  troubled  with  no  correspondence,  and 
had  nothing  in  the  nature  of  head-quarters,  unless 
it  was  the  office  of  my  solicitors,  from  whom  I 
drew  my  income  twice  a  year.  It  was  a  life  in 
which  I  delighted;  and  I  fully  thought  to  have 
,grown  old  upon  the  march,  and  at  last  died  in  a 
ditch. 

It  was  my  whole  business  to  find  desolate  cor 
ners,  where  I  could  camp  without  the  fear  of  in 
terruption;  and  hence  being  in  another  part  of 
the  same  shire,  I  bethought  me  suddenly  of  the 
Pavilion  on  the  Links.  No  thoroughfare  passed 
within  three  miles  of  it.  The  nearest  town,  and 
that  was  but  a  fisher  village,  was  at  a  distance  of 
six  or  seven.  For  ten  miles  of  length,  and  from 
a  depth  varying  from  three  miles  to  half  a  mile, 
this  belt  of  barren  country  lay  along  the  sea.  The 
beach,  which  was  the  natural  approach,  was  full 
of  quicksands.  Indeed  I  may  say  there  is  hardly 
a  better  place  of  concealment  in  the  United  King 
dom.  I  determined  to  pass  a  week  in  the  Sea- 
Wood  of  Graden  Easter,  and  making  a  long  stage, 
reached  it  about  sundown  on  a  wild  September 
day. 


232     NEW    ARABIAN    NIGHTS 

The  country,  I  have  said,  was  mixed  sand-hill 
and  links;  links  being  a  Scottish  name  for  sand 
which  has  ceased  drifting  and  become  more  or  less 
solidly  covered  with  turf.  The  pavilion  stood  on 
an  even  space;  a  little  behind  it,  the  wood  began 
in  a  hedge  of  elders  huddled  together  by  the  wind ; 
in  front,  a  few  tumbled  sand-hills  stood  between  it 
and  the  sea.  An  outcropping  of  rock  had  formed 
a  bastion  for  the  sand,  so  that  there  was  here  a 
promontory  in  the  coast-line  between  two  shallow 
bays;  and  just  beyond  the  tides,  the  rock  again 
cropped  out  and  formed  an  islet  of  small  dimen 
sions  but  strikingly  designed.  The  quicksands 
were  of  great  extent  at  low  water,  and  had  an  in 
famous  reputation  in  the  country.  Close  in  shore, 
between  the  islet  and  the  promontory,  it  was  said 
that  they  would  swallow  a  man  in  four  minutes 
and  a  half ;  but  there  may  have  been  little  ground 
for  this  precision.  The  district  was  alive  with  rab 
bits,  and  haunted  by  gulls  which  made  a  continual 
piping  above  the  pavilion.  On  summer  days  the 
outlook  was  bright  and  even  gladsome;  but  at 
sundown  in  September,  with  a  high  wind,  and  a 
heavy  surf  rolling  in  close  along  the  links,  the 
place  told  of  nothing  but  dead  mariners  and  sea 
disasters.  A  ship  beating  to  windward  on  the 
horizon,  and  a  huge  truncheon  of  wreck  half 
buried  in  the  sands  at  my  feet,  completed  the  in 
nuendo  of  the  scene. 

The  pavilion  —  it  had  been  built  by  the  last 
proprietor,  Northmour's  uncle,  a  silly  and  prodi 
gal  virtuoso  —  presented  little  signs  of  age.  It 


NEW    ARABIAN    NIGHTS     233 

was  two  stories  in  height,  Italian  in  design,  sur 
rounded  by  a  patch  of  garden  in  which  nothing 
had  prospered  but  a  few  coarse  flowers;  and 
looked,  with  its  shuttered  windows,  not  like  a 
house  that  had  been  deserted,  but  like  one  that 
had  never  been  tenanted  by  man.  Northmour  was 
plainly  from  home;  whether,  as  usual,  sulking  in 
the  cabin  of  his  yacht,  or  in  one  of  his  fitful  and 
extravagant  appearances  in  the  world  of  society, 
I  had,  of  course,  no  means  of  guessing.  The  place 
had  an  air  of  solitude  that  daunted  even  a  solitary 
like  myself;  the  wind  cried  in  the  chimneys  with 
a  strange  and  wailing  note;  and  it  was  with  a 
sense  of  escape,  as  if  I  were  going  indoors,  that 
I  turned  away  and  driving  my  cart  before  me  en 
tered  the  skirts  of  the  wood. 

The  Sea- Wood  of  Graden  had  been  planted  to 
shelter  the  cultivated  fields  behind,  and  check  the 
encroachments  of  the  blowing  sand.  As  you  ad 
vanced  into  it  from  coastward,  elders  were  suc 
ceeded  by  other  hardy  shrubs ;  but  the  timber  was 
all  stunted  and  bushy ;  it  led  a  life  of  conflict ;  the 
trees  were  accustomed  to  swing  there  all  night  long 
in  fierce  winter  tempests ;  and  even  in  early  spring, 
the  leaves  were  already  flying,  and  autumn  was 
beginning,  in  this  exposed  plantation.  Inland  the 
ground  rose  into  a  little  hill,  which,  along  with  the 
islet,  served  as  a  sailing  mark  for  seamen.  When 
the  hill  was  open  of  the  islet  to  the  north,  vessels 
must  bear  well  to  the  eastward  to  clear  Graden 
Ness  and  the  Graden  Bullers.  In  the  lower  ground, 
a  streamlet  ran  among  the  trees,  and,  being 


2j4     NEW    ARABIAN    NIGHTS 

with  dead  leaves  and  clay  of  its  own  carrying, 
spread  out  every  here  and  there,  and  lay  in  stag 
nant  pools.  One  or  two  ruined  cottages  were  dotted 
about  the  wood ;  and,  according  to  Northmour, 
these  were  ecclesiastical  foundations,  and  in  their 
time  had  sheltered  pious  hermits. 

I  found  a  den,  or  small  hollow,  where  there  was 
a  spring  of  pure  water;  and  there,  clearing  away 
the  brambles,  I  pitched  the  tent,  and  made  a  fire 
to  cook  my  supper.  My  horse  I  picketed  farther 
in  the  wood,  where  there  was  a  patch  of  sward. 
The  banks  of  the  deh  not  only  concealed  the  light 
of  my  fire,  but  sheltered  me  from  the  wind,  which 
was  cold  as  well  as  high. 

The  life  I  was  leading  made  me  both  hardy  and 
frugal.  I  never  drank  but  water,  and  rarely  ate 
anything  more  costly  than  oatmeal ;  and  I  required 
so  little  sleep,  that,  although  I  rose  with  the  peep 
of  day,  I  would  often  lie  long  awake  in  the  dark 
or  starry  watches  of  the  night.  Thus  in  Graden 
Sea-Wood,  although  I  fell  thankfully  asleep  by 
eight  in  the  evening,  I  was  awake  again  before 
eleven  with  a  full  possession  of  my  faculties,  and 
no  sense  of  drowsiness  or  fatigue.  I  rose  and  sat 
by  the  fire,  watching  the  trees  and  clouds  tumultu- 
ously  tossing  and  fleeing  overhead,  and  hearkening 
to  the  wind  and  rollers  along  the  shore;  till  at 
length,  growing  weary  of  inaction,  I  quitted  the 
den,  and  strolled  towards  the  borders  of  the  wood. 
A  young  moon,  buried  in  mist,  gave  a  faint  illumi 
nation  to  my  steps;  and  the  light  grew  brighter 
as  I  walked  forth  into  the  links.  At  the  same 


NEW    ARABIAN    NIGHTS     235 

moment,  the  wind,  smelling  salt  of  the  open  ocean 
and  carrying  particles  of  sand,  struck  me  with  its 
full  force,  so  that  I  had  to  bow  my  head. 

When  I  raised  it  again  to  look  about  me,  I  was 
aware  of  a  light  in  the  pavilion.  It  was  not  sta 
tionary;  but  passed  from  one  window  to  another, 
as  though  some  one  were  reviewing  the  different 
apartments  with  a  lamp  or  candle.  I  watched  it 
for  some  seconds  in  great  surprise.  When  I  had 
arrived  in  the  afternoon  the  house  had  been  plainly 
deserted;  now  it  was  as  plainly  occupied.  It  was 
my  first  idea  that  a  gang  of  thieves  might  have 
broken  in  and  be  now  ransacking  Northmour's 
cupboards,  which  were  many  and  not  ill  supplied. 
But  what  should  bring  thieves  to  Graden  Easter? 
And,  again,  all  the  shutters  had  been  thrown  open, 
and  it  would  have  been  more  in  the  character  of 
such  gentry  to  close  them.  I  dismissed  the  no 
tion,  and  fell  back  upon  another.  Northmour 
himself  must  have  arrived,  and  was  now  airing 
and  inspecting  the  pavilion. 

I  have  said  that  there  was  no  real  affection  be 
tween  this  man  and  me ;  but,  had  I  loved  him  like 
a  brother,  I  was  then  so  much  in  love  with  soli 
tude  that  I  should  none  the  less  have  shunned  his 
company.  As  it  was,  I  turned  and  ran  for  it ;  and 
it  was  with  genuine  satisfaction  that  I  found  my 
self  safely  back  beside  the  fire.  I  had  escaped  an 
acquaintance;  I  should  have  one  more  night  in 
comfort.  In  the  morning,  I  might  either  slip  away 
before  Northmour  was  abroad,  or  pay  him  as  short 
a  visit  as  I  chose. 


236     NEW    ARABIAN    NIGHTS 

But  when  morning  came,  I  thought  the  situation 
so  diverting  that  I  forgot  my  shyness.  Northmour 
was  at  my  mercy ;  I  arranged  a  good  practical  jest, 
though  I  knew  well  that  my  neighbour  was  not  the 
man  to  jest  with  in  security;  and,  chuckling  be 
forehand  over  its  success,  took  my  place  among  the 
elders  at  the  edge  of  the  wood,  whence  I  could 
command  the  door  of  the  pavilion.  The  shutters 
were  all  once  more  closed,  which  I  remember  think 
ing  odd;  and  the  house,  with  its  white  walls  and 
green  Venetians,  looked  spruce  and  habitable  in  the 
morning  light.  Hour  after  hour  passed,  and  still 
no  sign  of  Northmour.  I  knew  him  for  a  sluggard 
in  the  morning;  but,  as  it  drew  on  towards  noon, 
I  lost  my  patience.  To  say  the  truth,  I  had  prom 
ised  myself  to  break  my  fast  in  the  pavilion,  and 
hunger  began  to  prick  me  sharply.  It  was  a  pity 
to  let  the  opportunity  go  by  without  some  cause 
for  mirth;  but  the  grosser  appetite  prevailed,  and 
I  relinquished  my  jest  with  regret,  and  sallied  from 
the  wood. 

The  appearance  of  the  house  affected  me,  as  I 
drew  near,  with  disquietude.  It  seemed  unchanged 
since  last  evening;  and  I  had  expected  it,  I  scarce 
knew  why,  to  wear  some  external  signs  of  habita 
tion.  But  no:  the  windows  were  all  closely  shut 
tered,  the  chimneys  breathed  no  smoke,  and  the 
front  door  itself  was  closely  padlocked.  North 
mour,  therefore,  had  entered  by  the  back ;  this  was 
the  natural,  and,  indeed,  the  necessary  conclusion ; 
and  you  may  judge  of  my  surprise  when,  on  turning 
the  house,  I  found  the  back  door  similarly  secured. 


NEW   ARABIAN   NIGHTS      237 

My  mind  at  once  reverted  to  the  original  theory 
of  thieves;  and  I  blamed  myself  sharply  for  my 
last  night's  inaction.  I  examined  all  the  windows 
on  the  lower  story,  but  none  of  them  had  been 
tampered  with;  I  tried  the  padlocks,  but  they  were 
both  secure.  It  thus  became  a  problem  how  the 
thieves,  if  thieves  they  were,  had  managed  to  enter 
the  house.  They  must  have  got,  I  reasoned,  upon 
the  roof  of  the  outhouse  where  Northmour  used 
to  keep  his  photographic  battery;  and  from  thence, 
either  by  the  window  of  the  study  or  that  of  my 
old  bedroom,  completed  their  burglarious  entry. 

I  followed  what  I  supposed  was  their  example; 
and,  getting  on  the  roof,  tried  the  shutters  of  each 
room.  Both  were  secure;  but  I  was  not  to  be 
beaten;  and,  with  a  little  force,  one  of  them  flew 
open,  grazing,  as  it  did  so,  the  back  of  my  hand. 
I  remember,  I  put  the  wound  to  my  mouth,  and 
stood  for  perhaps  half  a  minute  licking  it  like  a 
dog,  and  mechanically  gazing  behind  me  over  the 
waste  links  and  the  sea;  and,  in  that  space  of 
time,  my  eye  made  note  of  a  large  schooner  yacht 
some  miles  to  the  north-east.  Then  I  threw  up 
the  window  and  climbed  in. 

I  went  over  the  house,  and  nothing  can  express 
my  mystification.  There  was  no  sign  of  disorder, 
but,  on  the  contrary,  the  rooms  were  unusually 
clean  and  pleasant.  I  found  fires  laid,  ready  for 
lighting;  three  bedrooms  prepared  with  a  luxury 
quite  foreign  to  Northmour's  habits,  and  with 
water  in  the  ewers  and  the  beds  turned  down; 
a  table  set  for  three  in  the  dining-room ;  and  an 


238     NEW    ARABIAN    NIGHTS 

ample  supply  of  cold  meats,  game  and  vegetables 
on  the  pantry  shelves.  There  were  guests  ex 
pected,  that  was  plain;  but  why  guests,  when 
Northmour  hated  society?  And,  above  all,  why 
was  the  house  thus  stealthily  prepared  at  dead  of 
night?  and  why  were  the  shutters  closed  and  the 
doors  padlocked? 

I  effaced  all  traces  of  my  visit,  and  came  forth 
from  the  window  feeling  sobered  and  concerned. 

The  schooner  yacht  was  still  in  the  same  place; 
and  it  flashed  for  a  moment  through  my  mind  that 
this  might  be  the  Red  Earl  bringing  the  owner  of 
the  pavilion  and  his  guests.  But  the  vessel's  heacf 
was  set  the  other  way. 


CHAPTER    II 

TELLS    OF   THE    NOCTURNAL   LANDING 
FROM   THE   YACHT 

I  RETURNED  to  the  den  to  cook  myself  a 
meal,  of  which  I  stood  in  great  need,  as 
well  as  to  care  for  my  horse,  whom  I  had 
somewhat  neglected  in  the  morning.  From  time 
to  time  I  went  down  to  the  edge  of  the  wood; 
but  there  was  no  change  in  the  pavilion,  and  not 
a  human  creature  was  seen  all  day  upon  the  links. 
The  schooner  in  the  offing  was  the  one  touch  of 
life  within  my  range  of  vision.  She,  apparently 
with  no  set  object,  stood  off  and  on  or  lay  to,  hour 
after  hour;  but  as  the  evening  deepened,  she  drew 
steadily  nearer.  I  became  more  convinced  that 
she  carried  Northmour  and  his  friends,  and  that 
they  would  probably  come  ashore  after  dark;  not 
only  because  that  was  of  a  piece  with  the  secrecy 
of  the  preparations,  but  because  the  tide  would 
not  have  flowed  sufficiently  before  eleven  to  cover 
Graden  Floe  and  the  other  sea-quags  that  fortified 
the  shore  against  invaders. 

All  day  the  wind  had  been  going  down,  and  the 
sea  along  with  it ;  but  there  was  a  return  towards 
sunset  of  the  heavy  weather  of  the  day  before. 


240     NEW    ARABIAiN    NIGHTS 

The  night  set  in  pitch  dark.  The  wind  came  off 
the  sea  in  squalls,  like  the  firing  of  a  battery  of 
cannon;  now  and  then  there  was  a  flaw  of  rain, 
and  the  surf  rolled  heavier  with  the  rising  tide.  I 
was  down  at  my  observatory  among  the  elders, 
when  a  light  was  run  up  to  the  masthead  of  the 
schooner,  and  showed  she  was  closer  in  than  when 
I  had  last  seen  her  by  the  dying  daylight.  I  con 
cluded  that  this  must  be  a  signal  to  Northmour's 
associates  on  shore;  and,  stepping  forth  into  the 
links,  looked  around  me  for  something  in  response. 

A  small  footpath  ran  along  the  margin  of  the 
wood,  and  formed  the  most  direct  communication 
between  the  pavilion  and  the  mansion  house;  and, 
as  I  cast  my  eyes  to  that  side,  I  saw  a  spark  of 
light,  not  a  quarter  of  a  mile  away,  and  rapidly 
approaching.  From  its  uneven  course  it  appeared 
to  be  the  light  of  a  lantern  carried  by  a  person 
who  followed  the  windings  of  the  path,  and  was 
often  staggered  and  taken  aback  by  the  more  vio 
lent  squalls.  I  concealed  myself  once  more  among 
the  elders,  and  waited  eagerly  for  the  new-comer's 
advance.  It  proved  to  be  a  woman;  and,  as  she 
passed  within  half  a  rod  of  my  ambush,  I  was 
able  to  recognise  the  features.  The  deaf  and  silent 
old  dame,  who  had  nursed  Northmour  in  his  child 
hood,  was  his  associate  in  this  under-hand  affair. 

I  followed  her  at  a  little  distance,  taking  advan 
tage  of  the  innumerable  heights  and  hollows,  con 
cealed  by  the  darkness,  and  favoured  not  only  by 
the  nurse's  deafness,  but  the  uproar  of  the  wind 
and  surf.  She  entered  the  pavilion,  and,  going 


NEW    ARABIAN    NIGHTS     241 

at  once  to  the  upper  story,  opened  and  set  a  light 
in  one  of  the  windows  that  looked  towards  the 
sea.  Immediately  afterwards  the  light  at  the 
schooner's  masthead  was  run  down  and  extin 
guished.  Its  purpose  had  been  attained,  and  those 
on  board  were  sure  that  they  were  expected.  The 
old  woman  resumed  her  preparations;  although 
the  other  shutters  remained  closed,  I  could  see  a 
glimmer  going  to  and  fro  about  the  house;  and 
a  gush  of  sparks  from  one  chimney  after  another 
soon  told  me  that  the  fires  were  being  kindled. 

Northmour  and  his  guests,  I  was  now  persuaded, 
would  come  ashore  as  soon  as  there  was  water  on 
the  floe.  It  was  a  wild  night  for  boat  service; 
and  I  felt  some  alarm  mingle  with  my  curiosity 
as  I  reflected  on  the  danger  of  the  landing.  My 
old  acquaintance,  it  was  true,  was  the  most  eccen 
tric  of  men;  but  the  present  eccentricity  was  both 
disquieting  and  lugubrious  to  consider.  A  variety 
of  feelings  thus  led  me  towards  the  beach,  where 
I  lay  flat  on  my  face  in  a  hollow  within  six  feet  of 
the  track  that  led  to  the  pavilion.  Thence,  I  should 
have  the  satisfaction  of  recognising  the  arrivals, 
and,  if  they  should  prove  to  be  acquaintances, 
greeting  them  as  soon  as  they  had  landed. 

Some  time  before  eleven,  while  the  tide  was  still 
dangerously  low,  a  boat's  lantern  appeared  close 
in  shore;  and,  my  attention  being  thus  awakened, 
I  could  perceive  another  still  far  to  seaward,  vio 
lently  tossed,  and  sometimes  hidden  by  the  billows. 
The  weather,  which  was  getting  dirtier  as  the  night 
went  on,  and  the  perilous  situation  of  the  yacht 
VOL.  ni  — id 


242     NEW    ARABIAN    NIGHTS 

upon  a  lee-shore,  had  probably  driven  them  to 
attempt  a  landing  at  the  earliest  possible  moment. 

A  little  afterwards,  four  yachtsmen  carrying  a 
very  heavy  chest,  and  guided  by  a  fifth  with  a 
lantern,  passed  close  in  front  of  me  as  I  lay,  and 
were  admitted  to  the  pavilion  by  the  nurse.  They 
returned  to  the  beach,  and  passed  me  a  third  time 
with  another  chest,  larger  but  apparently  not  so 
heavy  as  the  first.  A  third  time  they  made  the 
transit;  and  on  this  occasion  one  of  the  yachts 
men  carried  a  leather  portmanteau,  and  the  others 
a  lady's  trunk  and  carriage  bag.  My  curiosity  was 
sharply  excited.  If  a  woman  were  among  the 
guests  of  Northmour,  it  would  show  a  change  in 
his  habits  and  an  apostasy  from  his  pet  theories 
of  life,  well  calculated  to  fill  me  with  surprise. 
When  he  and  I  dwelt  there  together,  the  pavilion 
had  been  a  temple  of  misogyny.  And  now,  one 
of  the  detested  sex  was  to  be  installed  under  its 
roof.  I  remembered  one  or  two  particulars,  a 
few  notes  of  daintiness  and  almost  of  coquetry 
which  had  struck  me  the  day  before  as  I  surveyed 
the  preparations  in  the  house;  their  purpose  was 
now  clear,  and  I  thought  myself  dull  not  to  have 
perceived  it  from  the  first. 

While  I  was  thus  reflecting  a  second  lantern 
drew  near  me  from  the  beach.  It  was  carried  by 
a  yachtsman  whom  I  had  not  yet  seen,  and  who 
was  conducting  two  other  persons  to  the  pavilion. 
These  two  persons  were  unquestionably  the  guests 
for  whom  the  house  was  made  ready ;  and,  strain 
ing  eye  and  ear,  I  set  myself  to  watch  them  as 


NEW    ARABIAN    NIGHTS     243 

they  passed.  One  was  an  unusually  tall  man,  in 
a  travelling  hat  slouched  over  his  eyes,  and  a  High 
land  cape  closely  buttoned  and  turned  up  so  as  to 
conceal  his  face.  You  could  make  out  no  more 
of  him  than  that  he  was,  as  I  have  said,  unusually 
tall,  and  walked  feebly  with  a  heavy  stoop.  By 
his  side,  and  either  clinging  to  him  or  giving  him 
support  —  I  could  not  make  out  which  —  was  a 
young,  tall,  and  slender  figure  of  a  woman.  She 
was  extremely  pale ;  but  in  the  light  of  the  lantern 
her  face  was  so  marred  by  strong  and  changing 
shadows,  that  she  might  equally  well  have  been 
as  ugly  as  sin  or  as  beautiful  as  I  afterwards  found 
her  to  be. 

When  they  were  just  abreast  of  me,  the  girl 
made  some  remark  which  was  drowned  by  the 
noise  of  the  wind. 

"Hush!"  said  her  companion;  and. there  was 
something  in  the  tone  with  which  the  word  was 
uttered  that  thrilled  and  rather  shook  my  spirits. 
It  seemed  to  breathe  from  a  bosom  labouring  under 
the  deadliest  terror;  I  have  never  heard  another 
syllable  so  expressive;  and  I  still  hear  it  again 
when  I  am  feverish  at  night,  and  my  mind  runs 
upon  old  times.  The  man  turned  towards  the  girl 
as  he  spoke;  I  had  a  glimpse  of  much  red  beard 
and  a  nose  which  seemed  to  have  been  broken  in 
youth ;  and  his  light  eyes  seemed  shining  in  his 
face  with  some  strong  and  unpleasant  emotion. 

But  these  two  passed  on  and  were  admitted  in 
their  turn  to  the  pavilion. 

One  by  one,  or  in  groups,  the  seamen  returned 


244     NEW    ARABIAN    NIGHTS 

to  the  beach.  The  wind  brought  me  the  sound  of 
a  rough  voice  crying,  "  Shove  off!  "  Then,  after 
a  pause,  another  lantern  drew  near.  It  was  North- 
mour  alone. 

My  wife  and  I,  a  man  and  a  woman,  have  often 
agreed  to  wonder  how  a  person  could  be,  at  the 
same  time,  so  handsome  and  so  repulsive  as  North- 
mour.  He  had  the  appearance  of  a  finished  gen 
tleman;  his  face  bore  every  mark  of  intelligence 
and  courage,  but  you  had  only  to  look  at  him,  even 
in  his  most  amiable  moment,  to  see  that  he  had 
the  temper  of  a  slave  captain.  I  never  knew  a 
character  that  was  both  explosive  and  revengeful 
to  the  same  degree;  he  combined  the  vivacity  of 
the  south  with  the  sustained  and  deadly  hatreds 
of  the  north;  and  both  traits  were  plainly  written 
on  his  face,  which  was  a  sort  of  danger  signal. 
In  person  he  was  tall,  strong,  and  active;  his  hair 
and  complexion  very  dark;  his  features  hand 
somely  designed,  but  spoiled  by  a  menacing 
expression. 

At  that  moment  he  was  somewhat  paler  than 
by  nature ;  he  wore  a  heavy  frown ;  and  his  lips 
worked,  and  he  looked  sharply  round  as  he  walked, 
like  a  man  besieged  with  apprehensions.  And  yet 
I  thought  he  had  a  look  of  triumph  underlying  all, 
as  though  he  had  already  done  much,  and  was  near 
the  end  of  an  achievement. 

Partly  from  a  scruple  of  delicacy  —  which  I 
dare  say  came  too  late  —  partly  from  the  pleasure 
of  startling  an  acquaintance,  I  desired  to  make  my 
presence  known  to  him  without  delay. 


NEW    ARABIAN    NIGHTS     245 

I  got  suddenly  to  my  feet,  and  stepped  forward. 

"  Northmour!  "  said  I. 

I  have  never  had  so  shocking  a  surprise  in  all 
my  days.  He  leaped  on  me  without  a  word ;  some 
thing  shone  in  his  hand;  and  he  struck  for  my 
heart  with  a  dagger.  At  the  same  moment  I 
knocked  him  head  over  heels.  Whether  it  was  my 
quickness,  or  his  own  uncertainty,  I  know  not ;  but 
the  blade  only  grazed  my  shoulder,  while  the  hilt 
and  his  fist  struck  me  violently  on  the  mouth. 

I  fled,  but  not  far.  I  had  often  and  often  ob 
served  the  capabilities  of  the  sand-hills  for  pro 
tracted  ambush  or  stealthy  advances  and  retreats; 
and,  not  ten  yards  from  the  scene  of  the  scuffle, 
plumped  down  again  upon  the  grass.  The  lantern 
had  fallen  and  gone  out.  But  what  was  my  aston 
ishment  to  see  Northmour  slip  at  a  bound  into  the 
pavilion,  and  hear  him  bar  the  door  behind  him 
with  a  clang  of  iron! 

He  had  not  pursued  me.  He  had  run  away. 
Northmour,  whom  I  knew  for  the  most  implacable 
and  daring  of  men,  had  run  away !  I  could  scarce 
believe  my  reason;  and  yet  in  this  strange  busi 
ness,  where  all  was  incredible,  there  was  nothing 
to  make  a  work  about  in  an  incredibility  more  or 
less.  For  why  was  the  pavilion  secretly  prepared? 
Why  had  Northmour  landed  with  his  guests  at 
dead  of  night,  m  half  a  gale  of  wind,  and  with  the 
floe  scarce  covered?  Why  had  he  sought  to  kill 
me?  Had  he  not  recognised  my  voice?  I  won 
dered.  And,  above  all,  how  had  he  come  to  have 
*  4agger  ready  in  his  hand  ?  A  dagger,  or  even  a 


246     NEW    ARABIAN    NIGHTS 

sharp  knife,  seemed  out  of  keeping  with  the  age 
in  which  we  lived;  and  a  gentleman  landing  from 
his  yacht  on  the  shore  of  his  own  estate,  even 
although  it  was  at  night  and  with  some  mysterious 
circumstances,  does  not  usually,  as  a  matter  of  fact, 
walk  thus  prepared  for  deadly  onslaught.  The 
more  I  reflected,  the  further  I  felt  at  sea.  I  reca 
pitulated  the  elements  of  mystery,  counting  them 
on  my  fingers :  the  pavilion  secretly  prepared  for 
guests;  the  guests  landed  at  the  risk  of  their  lives 
and  to  the  imminent  peril  of  the  yacht ;  the  guests, 
or  at  least  one  of  them,  in  undisguised  and  seem 
ingly  causeless  terror;  Northmour  with  a  naked 
weapon;  Northmour  stabbing  his  most  intimate 
acquaintance  at  a  word ;  last,  and  not  least  strange, 
Northmour  fleeing  from  the  man  whom  he  had 
sought  to  murder,  and  barricading  himself,  like  a 
hunted  creature,  behind  the  door  of  the  pavilion. 
Here  were  at  least  six  separate  causes  for  extreme 
surprise ;  each  part  and  parcel  with  the  others,  and 
forming  all  together  one  consistent  story.  I  felt 
almost  ashamed  to  believe  my  own  senses. 

As  I  thus  stood  transfixed  with  wonder,  I  began 
to  grow  painfully  conscious  of  the  injuries  I  had 
received  in  the  scuffle;  skulked  round  among  the 
sand-hills;  and,  by  a  devious  path,  regained  the 
shelter  of  the  wood.  On  the  way,  the  old  nurse 
passed  again  within  several  yards  of  me,  still  carry 
ing  her  lantern,  on  the  return  journey  to  the 
mansion-house  of  Graden.  This  made  a  seventh 
suspicious  feature  in  the  case.  Northmour  and 
his  guests,  it  appeared,  were  to  cook  and  do  the 


NEW    ARABIAN    NIGHTS     247 

cleaning  for  themselves,  while  the  old  woman  con 
tinued  to  inhabit  the  big  empty  barrack  among  the 
policies.  There  must  surely  be  great  cause  for 
secrecy,  when  so  many  inconveniences  were  con 
fronted  to  preserve  it. 

So  thinking,  I  made  my  way  to  the  den.  For 
greater  security,  I  trod  out  the  embers  of  the  fire, 
and  lit  my  lantern  to  examine  the  wound  upon  my 
shoulder.  It  was  a  trifling  hurt,  although  it  bled 
somewhat  freely,  and  I  dressed  it  as  well  as  I  could 
(for  its  position  made  it  (difficult  to  reach)  with 
some  rag  and  cold  water  from  the  spring.  While 
I  was  thus  busied,  I  mentally  declared  war  against 
Northmour  and  his  mystery.  I  am  not  an  angry 
man  by  nature,  and  I  believe  there  was  more  curi 
osity  than  resentment  in  my  heart.  But  war  I  cer 
tainly  declared ;  and,  by  way  of  preparation,  I  got 
out  my  revolver,  and,  having  drawn  the  charges, 
cleaned  and  reloaded  it  with  scrupulous  care.  Next 
I  became  preoccupied  about  my  horse.  It  might 
break  loose,  or  fall  to  neighing,  and  so  betray  my 
camp  in  the  Sea- Wood.  I  determined  to  rid  my 
self  of  its  neighbourhood ;  and  long  before  dawn  I 
was  leading  it  over  the  links  in  the  direction  of  the 
fisher  village. 


CHAPTER    III 

TELLS   HOW   I    BECAME    ACQUAINTED    WITH 
MY    WIFE 

FOR  two  days  I  skulked  round  the  pavilion, 
profiting  by  the  uneven  surface  of  the  links. 
I  became  an  adept  in  the  necessary  tactics. 
These  low  hillocks  and  shallow  dells,  running  one 
into  another,  became  a  kind  of  cloak  of  darkness 
for  my  enthralling,  but  perhaps  dishonourable,  pur 
suit.  Yet,  in  spite  of  this  advantage,  I  could  learn 
but  little  of  Northmour  or  his  guests. 

Fresh  provisions  were  brought  under  cover  of 
darkness  by  the  old  woman  from  the  mansion- 
house.  Northmour  and  the  young  lady,  sometimes 
together,  but  more  often  singly,  would  walk  for  an 
hour  or  two  at  a  time  on  the  beach  beside  the 
quicksand.  I  could  not  but  conclude  that  this 
promenade  was  chosen  with  an  eye  to  secrecy ;  for 
the  spot  was  open  only  to  the  seaward.  But  it 
suited  me  not  less  excellently;  the  highest  and 
most  accidented  of  the  sand-hills  immediately  ad 
joined;  and  from  these,  lying  flat  in  a  hollow,  I 
could  overlook  Northmour  or  the  young  lady  as 
they  walked. 

The  tall  man  seemed  to  have  disappeared.  Not 
only  did  he  never  cross  the  threshold,  but  he  never 


NEW    ARABIAN    NIGHTS     249 

so  much  as  showed  face  at  a  window ;  or,  at  least, 
not  so  far  as  I  could  see;  for  I  dared  not  creep 
forward  beyond  a  certain  distance  in  the  day,  since 
the  upper  floor  commanded  the  bottoms  of  the 
links;  and  at  night,  when  I  could  venture  farther, 
the  lower  windows  were  barricaded  as  if  to  stand 
a  siege.  Sometimes  I  thought  the  tall  man  must 
be  confined  to  bed,  for  I  remembered  the  feebleness 
of  his  gait ;  and  sometimes  I  thought  he  must  have 
gone  clear  away,  and  that  Northmour  and  the 
young  lady  remained  alone  together  in  the  pavilion. 
The  idea,  even  then,  displeased  me. 

Whether  or  not  this  pair  were  man  and  wife,  I 
had  seen  abundant  reason  to  doubt  the  friendliness 
of  their  relation.  Although  I  could  hear  nothing 
of  what  they  said,  and  rarely  so  much  as  glean  a 
decided  expression  on  the  face  of  either,  there  was 
a  distance,  almost  a  stiffness,  in  their  bearing  which 
showed  them  to  be  either  unfamiliar  or  at  enmity. 
The  girl  walked  faster  when  she  was  with  North 
mour  than  when  she  was  alone;  and  I  conceived 
that  any  inclination  between  a  man  and  a  woman 
would  rather  delay  than  accelerate  the  step.  More 
over,  she  kept  a  good  yard  free  of  him,  and  trailed 
her  umbrella,  as  if  it  were  a  barrier,  on  the  side 
between  them.  Northmour  kept  sidling  closer; 
and,  as  the  girl  retired  from  his  advance,  their 
course  lay  at  a  sort  of  diagonal  across  the  beach, 
and  would  have  landed  them  in  the  surf  had  it 
been  long  enough  continued.  But,  when  it  was 
imminent,  the  girl  would  unostentatiously  change 
sides  and  put  Northmour  between  her  and  the  sea. 


250     NEW    ARABIAN    NIGHTS 

I  watched  these  manoeuvres,  for  my  part,  with  high 
enjoyment  and  approval,  and  chuckled  to  myself 
at  every  move. 

On  the  morning  of  the  third  day,  she  walked 
alone  for  some  time,  and  I  perceived,  to  my  great 
concern,  that  she  was  more  than  once  in  tears. 
You  will  see  that  my  heart  was  already  interested 
more  than  I  supposed.  She  had  a  firm  yet  airy 
motion  of  the  body,  and  carried  her  head  with 
unimaginable  grace;  every  step  was  a  thing  to 
look  at,  and  she  seemed  in  my  eyes  to  breathe 
sweetness  and  distinction. 

The  day  was  so  agreeable,  being  calm  and  sun 
shiny,  with  a  tranquil  sea,  and  yet  with  a  healthful 
piquancy  and  vigour  in  the  air,  that,  contrary  to 
custom,  she  was  tempted  forth  a  second  time  to 
walk.  On  this  occasion  she  was  accompanied  by 
Northmour,  and  they  had  been  but  a  short  while 
on  the  beach,  when  I  saw  him  take  forcible  pos 
session  of  her  hand.  She  struggled,  and  uttered 
a  cry  that  was  almost  a  scream.  I  sprang  to  my 
feet,  unmindful  of  my  strange  position;  but,  ere 
I  had  taken  a  step,  I  saw  Northmour  bareheaded 
and  bowing  very  low,  as  if  to  apologise;  and 
dropped  again  at  once  into  my  ambush.  A  few 
words  were  interchanged;  and  then,  with  an 
other  bow,  he  left  the  beach  to  return  to  the 
pavilion.  He  passed  not  far  from  me,  and  I 
could  see  him,  flushed  and  lowering,  and  cutting 
savagely  with  his  cane  among  the  grass.  It  was 
not  without  satisfaction  that  I  recognised  my 
own  handiwork  in  a  great  cut  under  his  right 


NEW    ARABIAN    NIGHTS     251 

eye,  and  a  considerable  discoloration  round  the 
socket. 

For  some  time  the  girl  remained  where  he  had 
left  her,  looking-  out  past  the  islet  and  over  the 
bright  sea.  Then  with  a  start,  as  one  who  throws 
off  preoccupation  and  puts  energy  again  upon  its 
mettle,  she  broke  into  a  rapid  and  decisive  walk. 
She  also  was  much  incensed  by  what  had  passed. 
She  had  forgotten  where  she  was.  And  I  beheld 
her  walk  straight  into  the  borders  of  the  quick 
sand  where  it  is  most  abrupt  and  dangerous.  Two 
or  three  steps  farther  and  her  life  would  have  been 
in  serious  jeopardy,  when  I  slid  down  the  face  of 
the  sand-hill,  which  is  there  precipitous,  and,  run 
ning  half-way  forward,  called  to  her  to  stop. 

She  did  so,  and  turned  round.  There  was  not 
a  tremor  of  fear  in  her  behaviour,  and  she  marched 
directly  up  to  me  like  a  queen.  I  was  barefoot, 
and  clad  like  a  common  sailor,  save  for  an  Egyptian 
scarf  round  my  waist;  and  she  probably  took  me 
at  first  for  some  one  from  the  fisher  village,  stray 
ing  after  bait.  As  for  her,  when  I  thus  saw  her 
face  to  face,  her  eyes  set  steadily  and  imperiously 
upon  mine,  I  was  filled  with  admiration  and  as 
tonishment,  and  thought  her  even  more  beautiful 
than  I  had  looked  to  find  her.  Nor  could  I  think 
enough  of  one  who,  acting  with  so  much  boldness, 
yet  preserved  a  maidenly  air  that  was  both  quaint 
and  engaging;  for  my  wife  kept,  an  old-fashioned 
precision  of  manner  through  all  her  admirable  life 
—  an  excellent  thing  in  woman,  since  it  sets  an 
other  value  on  her  sweet  familiarities. 


252     NEW    ARABIAN    NIGHTS 

"  What  does  this  mean  ?  "  she  asked. 

"  You  were  walking,"  I  told  her,  "  directly  into 
Graden  Floe." 

'  You  do  not  belong  to  these  parts,"  she  said 
again.  '  You  speak  like  an  educated  man." 

"  I  believe  I  have  a  right  to  that  name,"  said  I, 
"  although  in  this  disguise." 

But  her  woman's  eye  had  already  detected  the 
sash. 

"  Oh!  "  she  said;  "your  sash  betrays  you." 

"  You  have  said  the  word  betray,"  I  resumed. 
"  May  I  ask  you  not  to  betray  me  ?  I  was  obliged 
to  disclose  myself  in  your  interest;  but  if  North- 
mour  learned  my  presence  it  might  be  worse  than 
disagreeable  for  me." 

"  Do  you  know,"  she  asked,  "  to  whom  you  are 
speaking  ?  " 

"Not  to  Mr.  Northmour's  wife?"  I  asked,  by 
way  of  answer. 

She  shook  her  head.  All  this  while  she  was 
studying  my  face  with  an  embarrassing  intent- 
ness.  Then  she  broke  out: 

"  You  have  an  honest  face.  Be  honest  like  your 
face,  sir,  and  tell  me  what  you  want  and  what  you 
are  afraid  of.  Do  you  think  I  could  hurt  you?  I 
believe  you  have  far  more  power  to  injure  me! 
And  yet  you  do  not  look  unkind.  What  do  you 
mean  —  you,  a  gentleman  —  by  skulking  like  a  spy 
about  this  desolate  place?  Tell  me,"  she  said, 
"  who  is  it  you  hate  ?  " 

"  I  hate  no  one,"  I  answered ;  "  and  I  fear  no 
one  face  to  face.  My  name  is  Cassilis  —  Frank 


NEW   ARABIAN    NIGHTS     253 

Cassilis.  I  lead  the  life  of  a  vagabond  for  my 
own  good  pleasure.  I  am  one  of  Northrnour's 
oldest  friends;  and  three  nights  ago,  when  I  ad 
dressed  him  on  these  links,  he  stabbed  me  in  the 
shoulder  with  a  knife." 

"  It  was  you !  "  she  said. 

"  Why  he  did  so,"  I  continued,  disregarding  the 
interruption,  "  is  more  than  I  can  guess,  and  more 
than  I  care  to  know.  I  have  not  many  friends, 
nor  am  I  very  susceptible  to  friendship;  but  no 
man  shall  drive  me  from  a  place  by  terror.  I  had 
camped  in  Graden  Sea- Wood  ere  he  came ;  I  camp 
in  it  still.  If  you  think  I  mean  harm  to  you  or 
yours,  madam,  the  remedy  is  in  your  hand.  Tell 
him  that  my  camp  is  in  the  Hemlock  Den,  and 
to-night  he  can  stab  me  in  safety  while  I  sleep." 

With  this  I  doffed  my  cap  to  her,  and  scrambled 
up  once  more  among  the  sand-hills.  I  do  not  know 
why,  but  I  felt  a  prodigious  sense  of  injustice,  and 
felt  like  a  hero  and  a  martyr;  while,  as  a  matter 
of  fact,  I  had  not  a  word  to  say  in  my  defence, 
nor  so  much  as  one  plausible  reason  to  offer  for 
my  conduct.  I  had  stayed  at  Graden  out  of  a  curi 
osity  natural  enough,  but  undignified ;  and  though 
there  was  another  motive  growing  in  along  with 
the  first,  it  was  not  one  which,  at  that  period,  I 
could  have  properly  explained  to  the  lady  of  my 
heart. 

Certainly,  that  night,  I  thought  of  no  one  else; 
and,  though  her  whole  conduct  and  position  seemed 
suspicious,  I  could  not  find  it  in  my  heart  to  enter 
tain  a  doubt  of  her  integrity.  I  could  have  staked 


254     NEW    ARABIAN    NIGHTS 

my  life  that  she  was  clear  of  blame,  and,  though 
all  was  dark  at  the  present,  that  the  explanation  of 
the  mystery  would  show  her  part  in  these  events 
to  be  both  right  and  needful.  It  was  true,  let  me 
cudgel  my  imagination  as  I  pleased,  that  I  could 
invent  no  theory  of  her  relations  to  Northmour; 
but  I  felt  none  the  less  sure  of  my  conclusion  be 
cause  it  was  founded  on  instinct  in  place  of  reason, 
and,  as  I  may  say,  went  to  sleep  that  night  with 
the  thought  of  her  under  my  pillow. 

Next  day  she  came  out  about  the  same  hour 
alone,  and,  as  soon  as  the  sand-hills  concealed  her 
from  the  pavilion,  drew  nearer  to  the  edge,  and 
called  me  by  name  in  guarded  tones.  I  was  as 
tonished  to  observe  that  she  was  deadly  pale,  and 
seemingly  under  the  influence  of  strong  emotion. 

"Mr.  Cassilis!"  she  cried;  "Mr.  Cassilis!" 

I  appeared  at  once,  and  leaped  down  upon  the 
beach.  A  remarkable  air  of  relief  overspread  her 
countenance  as  soon  as  she  saw  me. 

"  Oh !  "  she  cried,  with  a  hoarse  sound,  like  one 
whose  bosom  has  been  lightened  of  weight.  And 
then,  "  Thank  God,  you  are  still  safe!  "  she  added; 
"  I  knew,  if  you  were,  you  would  be  here."  (Was 
not  this  strange?  So  swiftly  and  wisely  does  Na 
ture  prepare  our  hearts  for  these  great  life-long 
intimacies,  that  both  my  wife  and  I  had  been  given 
a  presentiment  on  this  the  second  day  of  our  ac 
quaintance.  I  had  even  then  hoped  that  she  would 
seek  me;  she  had  felt  sure  that  she  would  find 
me.)  "Do  not,"  she  went  on  swiftly,  "do  not 
stay  in  this  place.  Promise  me  that  you  will  sleep 


NEW    ARABIAN    NIGHTS     255 

no  longer  in  that  wood.  You  do  not  know  how 
I  suffer;  all  last  night  I  could  not  sleep  for  think 
ing  of  your  peril." 

"  Peril  ?  "  I  repeated.  "  Peril  from  whom  ? 
From  Northmour  ?  " 

"  Not  so,"  she  said.  "  Did  you  think  I  would 
tell  him  after  what  you  said  ?  " 

"Not  from  Northmour?"  I  repeated.  "Then 
how?  From  whom?  I  see  none  to  be  afraid  of." 

"  You  must  not  ask  me,"  was  her  reply,  "  for  I 
am  not  free  to  tell  you.  Only  believe  me,  and  go 
hence  —  believe  me,  and  go  away  quickly,  quickly, 
for  your  life!  " 

An  appeal  to  his  alarm  is  never  a  good  plan  to 
rid  oneself  of  a  spirited  young  man.  My  obstinacy 
was  but  increased  by  what  she  said,  and  I  made  it 
a  point  of  honour  to  remain.  And  her  solicitude  for 
my  safety  still  more  confirmed  me  in  the  resolve. 

"  You  must  not  think  me  inquisitive,  madam," 
I  replied;  "but,  if  Graden  is  so  dangerous  a  place, 
you  yourself  perhaps  remain  here  at  some  risk." 

She  only  looked  at  me  reproachfully. 

"  You  and  your  father "  I  resumed ;  but  she 

interrupted  me  almost  with  a  gasp. 

"My  father!  How  do  you  know  that?"  she 
cried. 

"  I  saw  you  together  when  you  landed,"  was  my 
answer;  and  I  do  not  know  why,  but  it  seemed 
satisfactory  to  both  of  us,  as  indeed  it  was  the 
truth.  "  But,"  I  continued,  "  you  need  have  no 
fear  from  me.  I  see  you  have  some  reason  to  be 
secret,  and,  you  may  believe  me,  your  secret  is  as 


256     NEW    ARABIAN    NIGHTS 

safe  with  me  as  if  I  were  in  Graden  Floe.  I  have 
scarce  spoken  to  any  one  for  years;  my  horse  is 
my  only  companion,  and  even  he,  poor  beast,  is 
not  beside  me.  You  see,  then,  you  may  count  on 
me  for  silence.  So  tell  me  the  truth,  my  dear 
young  lady,  are  you  not  in  danger?" 

"  Mr.  Northmour  says  you  are  an  honourable 
man,"  she  returned,  "  and  I  believe  it  when  I  see 
you.  I  will  tell  you  so  much;  you  are  right;  we 
are  in  dreadful,  dreadful  danger,  and  you  share  it 
by  remaining  where  you  are." 

"  Ah !  "  said  I ;  "  you  have  heard  of  me  from 
Northmour  ?  And  he  gives  me  a  good  character  ?  " 

"  I  asked  him  about  you  last  night,"  was  her 
reply.  "  I  pretended,"  she  hesitated,  "  I  pretended 
to  have  met  you  long  ago,  and  spoken  to  you  of 
him.  It  was  not  true;  but  I  could  not  help  my 
self  without  betraying  you,  and  you  had  put  me 
in  a  difficulty.  He  praised  you  highly." 

"  And  —  you  may  permit  me  one  question  — 
does  this  danger  come  from  Northmour?  "  I  asked. 

"  From  Mr.  Northmour  ?  "  she  cried.  "  Oh,  no ; 
he  stays  with  us  to  share  it." 

"  While  you  propose  that  I  should  run  away  ?  " 
I  said.  "  You  do  not  rate  me  very  high." 

"  Why  should  you  stay?  "  she  asked.  "  You  are 
no  friend  of  ours." 

I  know  not  what  came  over  me,  for  I  had  not 
been  conscious  of  a  similar  weakness  since  I  was 
a  child,  but  I  was  so  mortified  by  this  retort  that 
my  eyes  pricked  and  filled  with  tears,  as  I  con 
tinued  to  gaze  upon  her  face. 


NEW    ARABIAN    NIGHTS     257 

"  No,  no,"  she  said,  in  a  changed  voice ;  "  I  did 
not  mean  the  words  unkindly." 

"It  was  I  who  offended,"  I  said;  and  I  held 
out  my  hand  with  a  look  of  appeal  that  somehow 
touched  her,  for  she  gave  me  hers  at  once,  and 
even  eagerly.  I  held  it  for  awhile  in  mine,  and 
gazed  into  her  eyes.  It  was  she  who  first  tore  her 
hand  away,  and,  forgetting  all  about  her  request 
and  the  promise  she  had  sought  to  extort,  ran  at 
the  top  of  her  speed,  and  without  turning,  till  she 
was  out  of  sight.  And  then  I  knew  that  I  loved 
her,  and  thought  in  my  glad  heart  that  she  —  she 
herself  —  was  not  indifferent  to  my  suit.  Many 
a  time  she  has  denied  it  in  after  days,  but  it  was 
with  a  smiling  and  not  a  serious  denial.  For  my 
part,  I  am  sure  our  hands  would  not  have  lain  so 
closely  in  each  other  if  she  had  not  begun  to  melt 
to  me  already.  And,  when  all  is  said,  it  is  no  great 
contention,  since,  by  her  own  avowal,  she  began  to 
love  me  on  the  morrow. 

And  yet  on  the  morrow  very  little  took  place. 
She  came  and  called  me  down  as  on  the  day  be 
fore,  upbraided  me  for  lingering  at  Graden,  and, 
when  she  found  I  was  still  obdurate,  began  to  ask 
me  more  particularly  as  to  my  arrival.  I  told  her 
by  what  series  of  accidents  I  had  come  to  witness 
their  disembarkation,  and  how  I  had  determined 
to  remain,  partly  from  the  interest  which  had  been 
wakened  in  me  by  Northmour's  guests,  and  partly 
because  of  his  own  murderous  attack.  As  to  the 
former,  I  fear  I  was  disingenuous,  and  led  her  to 
regard  herself  as  having  been  an  attraction  to  me 

VOL.    III. —  19 


258     NEW    ARABIAN    NIGHTS 

from  the  first  moment  that  I  saw  her  on  the  links. 
It  relieves  my  heart  to  make  this  confession  even 
now,  when  my  wife  is  with  God,  and  already  knows 
all  things,  and  the  honesty  of  my  purpose  even  in 
this ;  for  while  she  lived,  although  it  often  pricked 
my  conscience,  I  had  never  the  hardihood  to  un 
deceive  her.  Even  a  little  secret,  in  such  a  married 
life  as  ours,  is  like  the  rose-leaf  which  kept  the 
Princess  from  her  sleep. 

From  this  the  talk  branched  into  other  subjects, 
and  I  told  her  much  about  my  lonely  and  wander 
ing  existence;  she,  for  her  part,  giving  ear,  and 
saying  little.  Although  we  spoke  very  naturally, 
and  latterly  on  topics  that  might  seem  indifferent, 
we  were  both  sweetly  agitated.  Too  soon  it  was? 
time  for  her  to  go;  and  we  separated,  as  if  by 
mutual  consent,  without  shaking  hands,  for  both 
knew  that,  between  us,  it  was  no  idle  ceremony! 

The  next,  and  that  was  the  fourth  day  of  our 
acquaintance,  we  met  in  the  same  spot,  but  early 
in  the  morning,  with  much  familiarity  and  yet 
much  timidity  on  either  side.  When  she  had  once 
more  spoken  about  my  danger  —  and  that,  I  under 
stood,  was  her  excuse  for  coming  —  I,  who  had 
prepared  a  great  deal  of  talk  during  the  night, 
began  to  tell  her  how  highly  I  valued  her  kind 
interest,  and  how  no  one  had  ever  cared  to  hear 
about  my  life,  nor  had  I  ever  cared  to  relate  it, 
before  yesterday.  Suddenly  she  interrupted  me, 
saying  with  vehemence: 

"  And  yet,  if  you  knew  who  I  was,  you  would 
not  so  much  as  speak  to  me ! " 


NEW    ARABIAN    NIGHTS     259 

I  told  her  such  a  thought  was  madness,  and, 
little  as  we  had  met,  I  counted  her  already  a  dear 
friend ;  but  my  protestations  seemed  only  to  make 
her  more  desperate. 

"  My  father  is  in  hiding!  "  she  cried. 

"  My  dear,"  I  said,  forgetting  for  the  first  time 
to  add  "young  lady,"  "what  do  I  care?  If  he 
were  in  hiding  twenty  times  over,  would  it  make 
one  thought  of  change  in  you  ?  " 

"  Ah,  but  the  cause !  "  she  cried,  "  the  cause !  It 
is  —  "  she  faltered  for  a  second  —  "  it  is  disgrace 
ful  to  us!" 


CHAPTER   IV 

TELLS  IN  WHAT  A  STARTLING  MANNER  I 
LEARNED  THAT  I  WAS  NOT  ALONE  IN 
GRADEN  SEA-WOOD 

THIS  was  my  wife's  story,  as  I  drew  it 
from  her  among  tears  and  sobs.  Her 
name  was  Clara  Huddlestone :  it  sounded 
very  beautiful  in  my  ears;  but  not  so  beautiful  as 
that  other  name  of  Clara  Cassilis,  which  she  wore 
during  the  longer  and,  I  thank  God,  the  happier 
portion  of  her  life.  Her  father,  Bernard  Huddle- 
stone,  had  been  a  private  banker  in  a  very  large 
way  of  business.  Many  years  before,  his  affairs 
becoming  disordered,  he  had  been  led  to  try  dan 
gerous,  and  at  last  criminal,  expedients  to  retrieve 
himself  from  ruin.  All  was  in  vain ;  he  became 
more  and  more  cruelly  involved,  and  found  his 
honour  lost  at  the  same  moment  with  his  fortune. 
About  this  period,  Northmour  had  been  courting 
his  daughter  with  great  assiduity,  though  with 
small  encouragement;  and  to  him,  knowing  him 
thus  disposed  in  his  favour,  Bernard  Huddlestone 
turned  for  help  in  his  extremity.  It  was  not  merely 
ruin  and  dishonour,  nor  merely  a  legal  condemna 
tion,  that  the  unhappy  man  had  brought  on  his 
head.  It  seems  he  could  have  gone  to  prison  with 


NEW    ARABIAN    NIGHTS     261 

a  light  heart.  What  he  feared,  what  kept  him 
awake  at  night  or  recalled  him  from  slumber  into 
frenzy,  was  some  secret,  sudden,  and  unlawful 
attempt  upon  his  life.  Hence,  he  desired  to  bury 
his  existence  and  escape  to  one  of  the  islands  in 
the  South  Pacific,  and  it  was  in  Northmour's  yacht, 
the  Red  Earl,  that  he  designed  to  go.  The  yacht 
picked  them  up  clandestinely  upon  the  coast  of 
Wales,  and  had  once  more  deposited  them  at 
Graden,  till  she  could  be  refitted  and  provisioned 
for  the  longer  voyage.  Nor  could  Clara  doubt 
that  her  hand  had  been  stipulated  as  the  price  of 
passage.  For,  although  Northmour  was  neither 
unkind  nor  discourteous,  he  had  shown  himself  in 
several  instances  somewhat  overbold  in  speech  and 
manner. 

I  listened,  I  need  not  say,  with  fixed  attention, 
and  put  many  questions  as  to  the  more  mysterious 
part.  It  was  in  vain.  She  had  no  clear  idea  of 
what  the  blow  was,  nor  of  how  it  was  expected  to 
fall.  Her  father's  alarm  was  unfeigned  and  phys 
ically  prostrating,  and  he  had  thought  more  than 
once  of  making  an  unconditional  surrender  to  the 
police.  But  the  scheme  was  finally  abandoned, 
for  he  was  convinced  that  not  even  the  strength  of 
our  English  prisons  could  shelter  him  from  his 
pursuers.  He  had  had  many  affairs  with  Italy, 
and  with  Italians  resident  in  London,  in  the  later 
years  of  his  business;  and  these  last,  as  Clara 
fancied,  were  somehow  connected  with  the  doom 
that  threatened  him.  He  had  shown  great  terror 
at  the  presence  of  an  Italian  seaman  on  board  the 


262     NEW    ARABIAN    NIGHTS 

Red  Earl,  and  had  bitterly  and  repeatedly  accused 
Northmour  in  consequence.  The  latter  had  pro 
tested  that  Beppo  (that  was  the  seaman's  name) 
was  a  capital  fellow  and  could  be  trusted  to  the 
death;  but  Mr.  Huddlestone  had  continued  ever 
since  to  declare  that  all  was  lost,  that  it  was  only 
a  question  of  days,  and  that  Beppo  would  be  the 
ruin  of  him  yet. 

I  regarded  the  whole  story  as  the  hallucination 
of  a  mind  shaken  by  calamity.  He  had  suffered 
heavy  loss  by  his  Italian  transactions ;  and  hence 
the  sight  of  an  Italian  was  hateful  to  him,  and  the 
principal  part  in  his  nightmare  would  naturally 
enough  be  played  by  one  of  that  nation. 

"  What  your  father  wants,"  I  said,  "  is  a  good 
doctor  and  some  calming  medicine." 

"But  Mr.  Northmour?"  objected  your  mother. 
"  He  is  untroubled  by  losses,  and  yet  he  shares  in 
this  terror." 

I  could  not  help  laughing  at  what  I  considered 
her  simplicity. 

"  My  dear,"  said  I,  "  you  have  told  me  yourself 
what  reward  he  has  to  look  for.  All  is  fair  in  love, 
you  must  remember;  and  if  Northmour  foments 
your  father's  terrors,  it  is  not  at  all  because 
he  is  afraid  of  any  Italian  man,  but  simply  be 
cause  he  is  infatuated  with  a  charming  English 


woman." 


She  reminded  me  of  his  attack  upon  myself  on 
the  night  of  the  disembarkation,  and  this  I  was 
unable  to  explain.  In  short,  and  from  one  thing 
to  another,  it  was  agreed  between  us,  that  I  should 


NEW    ARABIAN    NIGHTS     263 

set  out  at  once  for  the  fisher  village,  Graden 
Wester,  as  it  was  called,  look  up  all  the  newspapers 
I  could  find,  and  see  for  myself  if  there  seemed  any 
basis  of  fact  for  these  continued  alarms.  The  next 
morning,  at  the  same  hour  and  place,  I  was  to 
make  my  report  to  Clara.  She  said  no  more  on 
that  occasion  about  my  departure ;  nor  indeed,  did 
she  make  it  a  secret  that  she  clung  to  the  thought 
of  my  proximity  as  something  helpful  and  pleasant ; 
and,  for  my  part,  I  could  not  have  left  her,  if  she 
had  gone  upon  her  knees  to  ask  it. 

I  reached  Graden  Wester  before  ten  in  the  fore 
noon;  for  in  those  days  I  was  an  excellent  pedes 
trian,  and  the  distance,  as  I  think  I  have  said,  was 
little  over  seven  miles;  fine  walking  all  the  way 
upon  the  springy  turf.  The  village  is  one  of  the 
bleakest  on  that  coast,  which  is  saying  much :  there 
is  a  church  in  a  hollow,  a  miserable  ha*Ven  in  the 
rocks,  where  many  boats  have  been  lost  as  they 
returned  from  fishing;  two  or  three  score  of  stone 
houses  arranged  along  the  beach  and  in  two  streets, 
one  leading  from  the  harbour,  and  another  striking 
out  from  it  at  right  angles;  and,  at  the  corner  of 
these  two,  a  very  dark  and  cheerless  tavern,  by  way 
of  principal  hotel. 

I  had  dressed  myself  somewhat  more  suitably 
to  my  station  in  life,  and  at  once  called  upon  the 
minister  in  his  little  manse  beside  the  graveyard. 
He  knew  me,  although  it  was  more  than  nine  years 
since  we  had  met ;  and  when  I  told  him  that  I  had 
been  long  upon  a  walking  tour,  and  was  behind 
with  the  news,  readily  lent  me  an  armful  of  news- 


264     NEW    ARABIAN    NIGHTS 

papers,  dating  from  a  month  back  to  the  day  before. 
With  these  I  sought  the  tavern,  and,  ordering  some 
breakfast,  sat  down  to  study  the  "  Huddlestone 
Failure." 

It  had  been,  it  appeared,  a  very  flagrant  case. 
Thousands  of  persons  were  reduced  to  poverty; 
and  one  in  particular  had  blown  out  his  brains  as 
soon  as  payment  was  suspended.  It  was  strange 
to  myself  that,  while  I  read  these  details,  I  con 
tinued  rather  to  sympathise  with  Mr.  Huddlestone 
than  with  his  victims ;  so  complete  already  was  the 
empire  of  my  love  for  my  wife.  A  price  was 
naturally  set  upon  the  banker's  head ;  and,  as  the 
case  was  inexcusable  and  the  public  indignation 
thoroughly  aroused,  the  unusual  figure  of  75O/. 
was  offered  for  his  capture.  He  was  reported  to 
have  large  sums  of  money  in  his  possession.  One 
day,  he  had  been  heard  of  in  Spain;  the  next, 
there  was  sure  intelligence  that  he  was  still  lurking 
between  Manchester  and  Liverpool,  or  along  the 
border  of  Wales;  and  the  day  after,  a  telegram 
would  announce  his  arrival  in  Cuba  or  Yucatan. 
But  in  all  this  there  was  no  word  of  an  Italian,  nor 
any  sign  of  mystery. 

In  the  very  last  paper,  however,  there  was  one 
item  not  so  clear.  The  accountants  who  were 
charged  to  verify  the  failure  had,  it  seemed,  come 
upon  the  traces  of  a  large  number  of  thousands, 
which  figured  for  some  time  in  the  transactions  of 
the  house  of  Huddlestone;  but  which  came  from 
nowhere,  and  disappeared  in  the  same  mysterious 
fashion.  It  was  only  once  referred  to  by  name, 


NEW    ARABIAN    NIGHTS     265 

and  then  under  the  initials  "  X.  X." ;  but  it  had 
plainly  been  floated  for  the  first  time  into  the  busi 
ness  at  a  period  of  great  depression  some  six  years 
ago.  The  name  of  a  distinguished  Royal  person 
age  had  been  mentioned  by  rumour  in  connection 
with  this  sum.  :*  The  cowardly  desperado  " 
such,  I  remember,  was  the  editorial  expression  — 
was  supposed  to  have  escaped  with  a  large  part 
of  this  mysterious  fund  still  in  his  possession. 

I  was  still  brooding  over  the  fact,  and  trying  to 
torture  it  into  some  connection  with  Mr.  Huddle- 
stone's  danger,  when  a  man  entered  the  tavern  and 
asked  for  some  bread  and  cheese  with  a  decided 
foreign  accent. 

"Sieteltalianof"  said  I. 

"  Si,  signor,"  was  his  reply. 

I  said  it  was  unusually  far  north  to  find  one  of 
his  compatriots;  at  which  he  shrugged  his  shoul 
ders,  and  replied  that  a  man  would  go  anywhere 
to  find  work.  What  work  he  could  hope  to  find 
at  Graden  Wester,  I  was  totally  unable  to  conceive ; 
and  the  incident  struck  so  unpleasantly  upon  my 
mind,  that  I  asked  the  landlord,  while  he  was  count 
ing  me  some  change,  whether  he  had  ever  before 
seen  an  Italian  in  the  village.  He  said  he  had  once 
seen  some  Norwegians,  who  had  been  shipwrecked 
on  the  other  side  of  Graden  Ness  and  rescued  by 
the  lifeboat  from  Cauld-haven. 

"  No !  "  said  I ;  "  but  an  Italian,  like  the  man 
who  has  just  had  bread  and  cheese." 

"  What?  "  cried  he,  "  yon  black-avised  fellow  wi' 
the  teeth  ?  Was  he  an  I-talian  ?  Weel,  yon  's  the 


266     NEW    ARABIAN    NIGHTS 

first  that  ever  I  saw,  an*  I  dare  say  he  's  like  to  be 
the  last." 

Even  as  he  was  speaking,  I  raised  my  eyes,  and, 
casting  a  glance  into  the  street,  beheld  three  men 
in  earnest  conversation  together,  and  not  thirty 
yards  away.  One  of  them  was  my  recent  com 
panion  in  the  tavern  parlour;  the  other  two,  by 
their  handsome,  sallow  features  and  soft  hats, 
should  evidently  belong  to  the  same  race.  A 
crowd  of  village  children  stood  around  them,  ges 
ticulating  and  talking  gibberish  in  imitation.  The 
trio  looked  singularly  foreign  to  the  bleak  dirty 
street  in  which  they  were  standing,  and  the  dark 
grey  heaven  that  overspread  them;  and  I  confess 
my  incredulity  received  at  that  moment  a  shock 
from  which  it  never  recovered.  I  might  reason 
with  myself  as  I  pleased,  but  I  could  not  argue 
down  the  effect  of  what  I  had  seen,  and  I  began 
to  share  in  the  Italian  terror. 

It  was  already  drawing  towards  the  close  of  the 
day  before  I  had  returned  the  newspapers  at  the 
manse,  and  got  well  forward  on  to  the  links  on 
my  way  home.  I  shall  never  forget  that  walk.  It 
grew  very  cold  and  boisterous ;  the  wind  sang  in 
the  short  grass  about  my  feet;  thin  rain  showers 
came  running  on  the  gusts ;  and  an  immense  moun 
tain  range  of  clouds  began  to  arise  out  of  the  bosom 
of  the  sea.  It  would  be  hard  to  imagine  a  more 
dismal  evening;  and  whether  it  was  from  these 
external  influences,  or  because  my  nerves  were  al 
ready  affected  by  what  I  had  heard  and  seen,  my 
thoughts  were  as  gloomy  as  the  weather. 


NEW    ARABIAN    NIGHTS     267 

The  upper  windows  of  the  pavilion  commanded 
a  considerable  spread  of  links  in  the  direction 
of  Graden  Wester.  To  avoid  observation,  it  was 
necessary  to  hug  the  beach  until  I  had  gained  cover 
from  the  higher  sand-hills  on  the  little  headland, 
when  I  might  strike  across,  through  the  hollows, 
for  the  margin  of  the  wood.  The  sun  was  about 
setting;  the  tide  was  low,  and  all  the  quicksands 
uncovered;  and  I  was  moving  along,  lost  in  un 
pleasant  thought,  when  I  was  suddenly  thunder 
struck  to  perceive  the  prints  of  human  feet.  They 
ran  parallel  to  my  own  course,  but  low  down  upon 
the  beach  instead  of  along  the  border  of  the  turf; 
and,  when  I  examined  them,  I  saw  at  once,  by  the 
size  and  coarseness  of  the  impression,  that  it  was 
a  stranger  to  me  and  to  those  in  the  pavilion  who 
had  recently  passed  that  way.  Not  only  so;  but 
from  the  recklessness  of  the  course  which  he  had 
followed,  steering  near  to  the  most  formidable  por 
tions  of  the  sand,  he  was  as  evidently  a  stranger  to 
the  country  and  to  the  ill-repute  of  Graden  beach. 

Step  by  step  I  followed  the  prints;  until,  a 
quarter  of  a  mile  further,  I  beheld  them  die  away 
into  the  south-eastern  boundary  of  Graden  Floe. 
There,  whoever  he  was,  the  miserable  man  had 
perished.  One  or  two  gulls,  who  had,  perhaps, 
seen  him  disappear,  wheeled  over  his  sepulchre 
with  their  usual  melancholy  piping.  The  sun  had 
broken  through  the  clouds  by  a  last  effort,  and 
coloured  the  wide  level  of  quicksands  with  a  dusky 
purple.  I  stood  for  some  time  gazing  at  the  spot, 
chilled  and  disheartened  by  my  own  reflections, 


268     NEW    ARABIAN    NIGHTS 

and  with  a  strong  and  commanding  consciousness 
of  death.  I  remember  wondering  how  long  the 
tragedy  had  taken,  and  whether  his  screams  had 
been  audible  at  the  pavilion.  And  then,  making  a 
strong  resolution,  I  was  about  to  tear  myself  away, 
when  a  gust  fiercer  than  usual  fell  upon  this  quar 
ter  of  the  beach,  and  I  saw  now,  whirling  high  in 
air,  now  skimming  lightly  across  the  surface  of 
the  sands,  a  soft,  black,  felt  hat,  somewhat  conical 
in  shape,  such  as  I  had  remarked  already  on  the 
heads  of  the  Italians. 

I  believe,  but  I  am  not  sure,  that  I  uttered  a  cry. 
The  wind  was  driving  the  hat  shoreward,  and  I  ran 
round  the  border  of  the  floe  to  be  ready  against  its 
arrival.  The  gust  fell,  dropping  the  hat  for  awhile 
upon  the  quicksand,  and  then,  once  more  freshen 
ing,  landed  it  a  few  yards  from  where  I  stood.  I 
seized  it  with  the  interest  you  may  imagine.  It 
had  seen  some  service;  indeed,  it  was  rustier  than 
either  of  those  I  had  seen  that  day  upon  the  street. 
The  lining  was  red,  stamped  with  the  name  of  the 
maker,  which  I  have  forgotten,  and  that  of  the 
place  of  manufacture,  Venedig.  This  (it  is  not  yet 
forgotten)  was  the  name  given  by  the  Austrians  to 
the  beautiful  city  of  Venice,  then,  and  for  long 
after,  a  part  of  their  dominions. 

The  shock  was  complete.  I  saw  imaginary 
Italians  upon  every  side;  and  for  the  first,  and,  I 
may  say,  for  the  last  time  in  my  experience,  be 
came  overpowered  by  what  is  called  panic  terror. 
I  knew  nothing,  that  is,  to  be  afraid  of,  and  yet  I 
admit  that  I  was  heartily  afraid ;  and  it  was  with 


NEW    ARABIAN    NIGHTS     269 

a  sensible  reluctance  that  I  returned  to  my  exposed 
and  solitary  camp  in  the  Sea- Wood. 

There  I  ate  some  cold  porridge  which  had 
been  left  over  from  the  night  before,  for  I  was 
disinclined  to  make  a  fire;  and,  feeling  strength 
ened  and  reassured,  dismissed  all  these  fanciful 
terrors  from  my  mind,  and  lay  down  to  sleep  with 
composure. 

How  long  I  may  have  slept  it  is  impossible  for 
me  to  guess;  but  I  was  awakened  at  last  by  a 
sudden,  blinding  flash  of  light  into  my  face.  It 
woke  me  like  a  blow.  In  an  instant  I  was  upon 
my  knees.  But  the  light  had  gone  as  suddenly  as 
it  came.  The  darkness  was  intense.  And,  as  it 
was  blowing  great  guns  from  the  sea  and  pouring 
with  rain,  the  noises  of  the  storm  effectually  con 
cealed  all  others. 

It  was,  I  dare  say,  half  a  minute  before  I 
regained  my  self-possession.  But  for  two  cir 
cumstances,  I  should  have  thought  I  had  been 
awakened  by  some  new  and  vivid  form  of  night 
mare.  First,  the  flap  of  my  tent,  which  I  had 
shut  carefully  when  I  retired,  was  now  unfastened ; 
and,  second,  I  could  still  perceive,  with  a  sharp 
ness  that  excluded  any  theory  of  hallucination,  the 
smell  of  hot  metal  and  of  burning  oil.  The  con 
clusion  was  obvious.  I  had  been  awakened  by 
some  one  flashing  a  bull's-eye  lantern  in  my  face. 
It  had  been  but  a  flash,  and  away.  He  had  seen 
my  face,  and  then  gone.  I  asked  myself  the  object 
of  so  strange  a  proceeding,  and  the  answer  came 
pat.  The  man,  whoever  he  was,  had  thought  to 


270     NEW    ARABIAN    NIGHTS 

recognise  me,  and  he  had  not.  There  was  yet 
another  question  unsolved;  and  to  this,  I  may  say, 
I  feared  to  give  an  answer;  if  he  had  recognised 
me,  what  would  he  have  done? 

My  fears  were  immediately  diverted  from  my 
self,  for  I  saw  that  I  had  been  visited  in  a  mis 
take;  and  I  became  persuaded  that  some  dreadful 
danger  threatened  the  pavilion.  It  required  some 
nerve  to  issue  forth  into  the  black  and  intricate 
thicket  which  surrounded  and  overhung  the  den ; 
but  I  groped  my  way  to  the  links,  drenched  with 
rain,  beaten  upon  and  deafened  by  the  gusts,  and 
fearing  at  every  step  to  lay  my  hand  upon  some 
lurking  adversary.  The  darkness  was  so  complete 
that  I  might  have  been  surrounded  by  an  army  and 
yet  none  the  wiser,  and  the  uproar  of  the  gale  so 
loud  that  my  hearing  was  as  useless  as  my  sight. 

For  the  rest  of  the  night,  which  seemed  intermi 
nably  long,  I  patrolled  the  vicinity  of  the  pavilion, 
without  seeing  a  living  creature  or  hearing  any 
noise  but  the  concert  of  the  wind,  the  sea,  and  the 
rain.  A  light  in  the  upper  story  filtered  through 
a  cranny  in  the  shutter,  and  kept  me  company  till 
the  approach  of  dawn. 


CHAPTER   V 

TELLS  OF  AN  INTERVIEW  BETWEEN  NORTH- 
MOUR,  CLARA,  AND   MYSELF 

WITH  the  first  peep  of  day,  I  retired  from 
the  open  to  my  old  lair  among  the  sand 
hills,  there  to  await  the  coming  of  my 
wife.  The  morning  was  grey,  wild,  and  melan 
choly  ;  the  wind  moderated  before  sunrise,  and  then 
went  about,  and  blew  in  puffs  from  the  shore ;  the 
sea  began  to  go  down,  but  the  rain  still  fell  with 
out  mercy.  Over  all  the  wilderness  of  links  there 
was  not  a  creature  to  be  seen.  Yet  I  felt  sure  the 
neighbourhood  was  alive  with  skulking  foes.  The 
light  had  been  so  suddenly  and  surprisingly  flashed 
upon  my  face  as  I  lay  sleeping,  and  the  hat  that 
had  been  blown  ashore  by  the  wind  from  over 
Graden  Floe,  were  two  speaking  signals  of  the 
peril  that  environed  Clara  and  the  party  in  the 
pavilion. 

It  was,  perhaps,  half-past  seven,  or  nearer  eight, 
before  I  saw  the  door  open,  and  that  dear  figure 
come  towards  me  in  the  rain.  I  was  waiting  for 
her  on  the  beach  before  she  had  crossed  the  sand 
hills. 

"  I  have  had  such  trouble  to  come ! "  she  cried. 
"  They  did  not  wish  me  to  go  walking  in  the  rain." 


272     NEW    ARABIAN    NIGHTS 

"Clara,"  I  said,  "you  are  not  frightened!" 

"  No,"  said  she,  with  a  simplicity  that  filled 
my  heart  with  confidence.  For  my  wife  was  the 
bravest  as  well  as  the  best  of  women;  in  my  ex 
perience  I  have  not  found  the  two  go  always 
together,  but  with  her  they  did ;  and  she  combined 
the  extreme  of  fortitude  with  the  most  endearing 
and  beautiful  virtues. 

I  told  her  what  had  happened;  and,  though  her 
cheek  grew  visibly  paler,  she  retained  perfect  con 
trol  over  her  senses. 

'  You  see  now  that  I  am  safe,"  said  I  in  conclu 
sion.  '  They  do  not  mean  to  harm  me ;  for,  had 
they  chosen,  I  was  a  dead  man  last  night." 

She  laid  her  hand  upon  my  arm. 

"  And  I  had  no  presentiment !  "  she  cried. 

Her  accent  thrilled  me  with  delight.  I  put  my 
arm  about  her,  and  strained  her  to  my  side;  and, 
before  either  of  us  was  aware,  her  hands  were  on 
my  shoulders  and  my  lips  upon  her  mouth.  Yet 
up  to  that  moment  no  word  of  love  had  passed 
between  us.  To  this  time  I  remember  the  touch 
of  her  cheek,  which  was  wet  and  cold  with  the 
rain;  and  many  a  time  since,  when  she  has  been 
washing  her  face,  I  have  kissed  it  again  for  the 
sake  of  that  morning  on  the  beach.  Now  that  she 
is  taken  from  me,  and  I  finish  my  pilgrimage  alone, 
I  recall  our  old  loving  kindness  and  the  deep  hon 
esty  and  affection  which  united  us,  and  my  present 
loss  seems  but  a  trifle  in  comparison. 

We  may  have  thus  stood  for  some  seconds  —  for 
time  passes  quickly  with  lovers  —  before  we  were 


NEW    ARABIAN    NIGHTS     273 

startled  by  a  peal  of  laughter  close  at  hand.  It 
was  not  natural  mirth,  but  seemed  to  be  affected 
in  order  to  conceal  an  angrier  feeling.  We  both 
turned,  though  I  still  kept  my  left  arm  about 
Clara's  waist;  nor  did  she  seek  to  withdraw  her 
self;  and  there,  a  few  paces  off  upon  the  beach, 
stood  Northmour,  his  head  lowered,  his  hands  be 
hind  his  back,  his  nostrils  white  with  passion. 

"  Ah !  Cassilis !  "  he  said,  as  I  disclosed  my  face. 

"  That  same,"  said  I ;  for  I  was  not  at  all  put 
about. 

"  And  so,  Miss  Huddlestone,"  he  continued 
slowly  but  savagely,  "  this  is  how  you  keep  your 
faith  to  your  father  and  to  me?  This  is  the  value 
you  set  upon  your  father's  life?  And  you  are  so 
infatuated  with  this  young  gentleman  that  you 
must  brave  ruin,  and  decency,  and  common  human 
caution " 

"  Miss  Huddlestone  —  "  I  was  beginning  to 
interrupt  him,  when  he,  in  his  turn,  cut  in 
brutally 

"  You  hold  your  tongue,"  said  he;  "I  am  speak 
ing  to  that  girl." 

E<  That  girl,  as  you  call  her,  is  my  wife,"  said  I : 
and  my  wife  only  leaned  a  little  nearer,  so  that  I 
knew  she  had  affirmed  my  words. 

'  Your  what?  "  he  cried.     "  You  lie!  " 

"  Northmour/'  I  said,  "  we  all  know  you  have 
a  bad  temper,  and  I  am  the  last  man  to  be  irritated 
by  words.  For  all  that,  I  propose  that  you  speak 
lower,  for  I  am  convinced  that  we  are  not  alone." 

He  looked  round  him,  and  it  was  plain  my 
VOL.  m.  — 18 


*74     NEW    ARABIAN    NIGHTS 

remark  had  in  some  degree  sobered  his  passion. 
"  What  do  you  mean?  "  he  asked. 

I  only  said  one  word :  "  Italians." 

He  swore  a  round  oath,  and  looked  at  us,  from 
one  to  the  other. 

"  Mr.  Cassilis  knows  all  that  I  know/'  said  my 
wife. 

"What  I  want  to  know/'  he  broke  out,  "is 
where  the  devil  Mr.  Cassilis  comes  from,  and  what 
the  devil  Mr.  Cassilis  is  doing  here.  You  say  you 
are  married:  that  I  do  not  believe.  If  you  were, 
Graden  Floe  would  soon  divorce  you ;  four  minutes 
and  a  half,  Cassilis;  I  keep  my  private  cemetery 
for  my  friends." 

"  It  took  somewhat  longer,"  said  I,  "  for  thatf 
Italian." 

He  looked  at  me  for  a  moment  half  daunt ed, 
and  then,  almost  civilly,  asked  me  to  tell  my  story, 
"  You  have  too  much  the  advantage  of  me,  Cas 
silis,"  he  added.  I  complied,  of  course;  and  he 
listened,  with  several  ejaculations,  while  I  told  him 
how  I  had  come  to  Graden ;  that  it  was  I  whom  he 
had  tried  to  murder  on  the  night  of  landing;  and 
what  I  had  subsequently  seen  and  heard  of  the 
Italians. 

"  Well,"  said  he,  when  I  had  done,  "  it  is  here 
at  last ;  there  is  no  mistake  about  that.  And  what, 
may  I  ask,  do  you  propose  to  do?  " 

"  I  propose  to  stay  with  you  and  lend  a  hand," 
said  I. 

"  You  are  a  brave  man,"  he  returned,  with  at 
peculiar  intonation. 


NEW    ARABIAN    NIGHTS     275 

"  I  am  not  afraid,"  said  I. 

"  And  so,"  he  continued,  "  I  am  to  understand 
that  you  two  are  married?  And  you  stand  up  to 
it  before  my  face,  Miss  Huddlestone  ?  " 

"  We  are  not  yet  married,"  said  Clara ;  "  but 
we  shall  be  as  soon  as  we  can." 

"  Bravo !  "  cried  Northmour.  "  And  the  bar 
gain  ?  D — n  it,  you  're  not  a  fool,  young  woman ; 
I  may  call  a  spade  a  spade  with  you.  How  about 
the  bargain  ?  You  know  as  well  as  I  do  what  your 
father's  life  depends  upon.  I  have  only  to  put  my 
hands  under  my  coat-tails  and  walk  away,  and  his 
throat  would  be  cut  before  the  evening." 

"  Yes,  Mr.  Northmour,"  returned  Clara,  with 
great  spirit ;  "  but  that  is  what  you  will  never  do. 
You  made  a  bargain  that  was  unworthy  of  a  gen 
tleman  ;  but  you  are  a  gentleman  for  all  that,  and 
you  will  never  desert  a  man  whom  you  have  begun 
to  help." 

"  Aha!  "  said  he.  "  You  think  I  will  give  my 
yacht  for  nothing?  You  think  I  will  risk  my  life 
and  liberty  for  love  of  the  old  gentleman;  and 
then,  I  suppose,  be  best  man  at  the  wedding,  to 
wind  up?  Well,"  he  added,  with  an  odd  smile, 
"  perhaps  you  are  not  altogether  wrong.  But 
ask  Cassilis  here.  He  knows  me.  Am  I  a  man 
to  trust?  Am  I  safe  and  scrupulous?  Am  I 
kind?" 

"  I  know  you  talk  a  great  deal,  and  sometimes, 
I  think,  very  foolishly,"  replied  Clara,  "but  I 
know  you  are  a  gentleman,  and  I  am  not  in  the 
kast  afraid." 


276     NEW    ARABIAN    NIGHTS 

He  looked  at  her  with  a  peculiar  approval  and 
admiration ;  then,  turning  to  me,  "  Do  you  think 
I  would  give  her  up  without  a  struggle,  Frank  ?  " 
said  he.  "  I  tell  you  plainly,  you  look  out.  The 
next  time  we  come  to  blows " 

"  Will  make  the  third,"  I  interrupted,  smiling. 

"Aye,  true;  so  it  will,"  he  said.  "I  had  for 
gotten.  Well,  the  third  time  's  lucky." 

"  The  third  time,  you  mean,  you  will  have  the 
crew  of  the  Red  Earl  to  help,"  I  said. 

"  Do  you  hear  him  ?  "  he  asked,  turning  to  my 
wife. 

"  I  hear  two  men  speaking  like  cowards,"  said 
she.  "  I  should  despise  myself  either  to  think  or 
speak  like  that.  And  neither  of  you  believes  one 
word  that  you  are  saying,  which  makes  it  the  more 
wicked  and  silly." 

"She's  a  trump!"  cried  Northmour.  "But 
she  's  not  yet  Mrs.  Cassilis.  I  say  no  more.  The 
present  is  not  for  me." 

Then  my  wife  surprised  me. 

"  I  leave  you  here,"  she  said  suddenly.  "  My 
father  has  been  too  long  alone.  But  remember 
this :  you  are  to  be  friends,  for  you  are  both  good 
friends  to  me." 

She  has  since  told  me  her  reason  for  this  step. 
As  long  as  she  remained,  she  declares  that  we  two 
would  have  continued  to  quarrel;  and  I  suppose 
that  she  was  right,  for  when  she  was  gone  we  fell 
at  once  into  a  sort  of  confidentiality. 

Northmour  stared  after  her  as  she  went  away 
over  the  sand-hill. 


NEW    ARABIAN    NIGHTS     277 

"  She  is  the  only  woman  in  the  world !  "  he  ex 
claimed  with  an  oath.  "  Look  at  her  action." 

I,  for  my  part,  leaped  at  this  opportunity  for  a 
little  further  light. 

"  See  here,  Northmour,"  said  I ;  "we  are  all  in 
a  tight  place,  are  we  not  ?  " 

"  I  believe  you,  my  boy,"  he  answered,  looking 
me  in  the  eyes,  and  with  great  emphasis.  "  We 
have  all  hell  upon  us,  that 's  the  truth.  You 
may  believe  me  or  not,  but  I  'm  afraid  of  my 
life." 

"  Tell  me  one  thing,"  said  I.  "  What  are  they 
after,  these  Italians?  What  do  they  want  with 
Mr.  Huddlestone?" 

"  Don't  you  know?  "  he  cried.  "  The  black  old 
scamp  had  carbonaro  funds  on  a  deposit  —  two 
hundred  and  eighty  thousand;  and  of  course  he 
gambled  it  away  on  stocks.  There  was  to  have 
been  a  revolution  in  the  Tridentino, .  or  Parma ; 
but  the  revolution  is  off,  and  the  whole  wasp's 
nest  is  after  Huddlestone.  We  shall  all  be  lucky 
if  we  can  save  our  skins." 

"  The  carbonari! "  I  exclaimed ;  "  God  help  him 
indeed!" 

"  Amen !  "  said  Northmour.  "  And  now,  look 
here:  I  have  said  that  we  are  in  a  fix;  and, 
frankly,  I  shall  be  glad  of  your  help.  If  I  can't 
save  Huddlestone,  I  want  at  least  to  save  the 
girl.  Come  and  stay  in  the  pavilion ;  and,  there  's 
my  hand  on  it,  I  shall  act  as  your  friend  until 
the  old  man  is  either  clear  or  dead.  But,"  he 
added,  "  once  that  is  settled,  you  become  my 


278     NEW   ARABIAN    NIGHTS 

rival  once  again,  and  I  warn  you  —  mind  your 
self." 

"  Done!  "  said  I;    and  we  shook  hands. 

"  And  now  let  us  go  directly  to  the  fort,"  said 
Northmour ;  and  he  began  to  lead  the  way  through 
the  rain. 


CHAPTER   VI 

TELLS    OF   MY   INTRODUCTION   TO    THE 
TALL   MAN 

WE  were  admitted  to  the  pavilion  by 
Clara,  and  I  was  surprised  by  the  com 
pleteness  and  security  of  the  defences. 
A  barricade  of  great  strength,  and  yet  easy  to 
displace,  supported  the  door  against  any  violence 
from  without;  and  the  shutters  of  the  dining- 
room,  into  which  I  was  led  directly,  and  which 
was  feebly  illuminated  by  a  lamp,  were  even  more 
elaborately  fortified.  The  panels  were  strength 
ened  by  bars  and  cross-bars;  and  these,  in  their 
turn,  were  kept  in  position  by  a  system  of  braces 
and  struts,  some  abutting  on  the  floor,  some  on 
the  roof,  and  others,  in  fine,  against  the  opposite 
wall  of  the  apartment.  It  was  at  once  a  solid  and 
well-designed  piece  of  carpentry;  and  I  did  not 
seek  to  conceal  my  admiration. 

"  I  am  the  engineer,"  said  Northmour.  "  You 
remember  the  planks  in  the  garden?  Behold 
them!" 

"  I  did  not  know  you  had  so  many  talents/' 
said  I. 

"Are  you  armed?"  he  continued,  pointing  to 
an  array  of  guns  and  pistols,  all  in  admirable 


280     NEW    ARABIAN    NIGHTS 

order,  which  stood  in  line  against  the  wall  or 
were  displayed  upon  the  sideboard. 

"  Thank  you,"  I  returned ;  "  I  have  gone  armed 
since  our  last  encounter.  But,  to  tell  you  the 
truth,  I  have  had  nothing  to  eat  since  early  yes 
terday  evening." 

Northmour  produced  some  cold  meat,  to  which 
I  eagerly  set  myself;  and  a  bottle  of  good  Bur 
gundy,  by  which,  wet  as  I  was,  I  did  not  scruple 
to  profit.  I  have  always  been  an  extreme  tem 
perance  man  on  principle ;  but  it  is  useless  to  push 
principle  to  excess,  and  on  this  occasion  I  believe 
that  I  finished  three  quarters  of  the  bottle.  As  I 
ate,  I  still  continued  to  admire  the  preparations  for 
defence. 

"  We  could  stand  a  siege,"  I  said  at  length. 

"  Ye — es,"  drawled  Northmour ;  "  a  very  little 
one,  per — haps.  It  is  not  so  much  the  strength  of 
the  pavilion  I  misdoubt;  it  is  the  double  danger 
that  kills  me.  If  we  get  to  shooting,  wild  as  the 
country  is  some  one  is  sure  to  hear  it,  and  then  — 
why,  then  it 's  the  same  thing,  only  different,  as 
they  say,  caged  by  law,  or  killed  by  carbonari. 
There  's  the  choice.  It  is  a  devilish  bad  thing  to 
have  the  law  against  you  in  this  world,  and  so  I 
tell  the  old  gentleman  up-stairs.  He  is  quite  of 
my  way  of  thinking." 

"  Speaking  of  that,"  said  I,  "  what  kind  of  per 
son  is  he?  " 

"  Oh,  he?  "  cried  the  other;  "  he  's  a  rancid  fel 
low  as  far  as  he  goes.  I  should  like  to  have  his 
neck  wrung  to-morrow  by  all  the  devils  in  Italy. 


NEW   ARABJAN    NIGHTS     281 

I  am  not  in  this  affair  for  him.  You  take  me? 
I  made  a  bargain  for  Missy's  hand  and  I  mean  to 
have  it  too." 

"That,  by  the  way,"  said  I,  "I  understand. 
But  how  will  Mr.  Huddlestone  take  my  intru 
sion?" 

"  Leave  that  to  Clara,"  returned  Northmour. 

I  could  have  struck  him  in  the  face  for  this 
coarse  familiarity;  but  I  respected  the  truce,  as, 
I  am  bound  to  say,  did  Northmour,  and  so  long  as 
the  danger  continued  not  a  cloud  arose  in  our  rela 
tion.  I  bear  him  this  testimony  with  the  most  un 
feigned  satisfaction ;  nor  am  I  without  pride  when 
I  look  back  upon  my  own  behaviour.  For  surely 
no  two  men  were  ever  left  in  a  position  so  invidious 
and  irritating. 

As  soon  as  I  had  done  eating,  we  proceeded  to 
inspect  the  lower  floor.  Window  by  window  we 
tried  the  different  supports,  now  and  then  making 
an  inconsiderable  change;  and  the  strokes  of  the 
hammer  sounded  with  startling  loudness  through 
the  house.  I  proposed,  I  remember,  to  make 
loopholes ;  but  he  told  me  they  were  already  made 
in  the  windows  of  the  upper  story.  It  was  an 
anxious  business,  this  inspection,  and  left  me  down 
hearted.  There  were  two  doors  and  five  windows 
to  protect,  and,  counting  Clara,  only  four  of  us  to 
defend  them  against  an  unknown  number  of  foes. 
I  communicated  my  doubts  to  Northmour,  who 
assured  me,  with  unmoved  composure,  that  he 
entirely  shared  them. 

"  Before  morning,"  said  he,  "  we  shall  all  be 


282     NEW    ARABIAN    NIGHTS 

butchered  and  buried  in  Graden  Floe.  For  me, 
that  is  written." 

I  could  not  help  shuddering  at  the  mention  of 
the  quicksand,  but  reminded  Northmour  that  our 
enemies  had  spared  me  in  the  wood. 

"  Do  not  flatter  yourself,"  said  he.  "  Then  you 
were  not  in  the  same  boat  with  the  old  gentleman ; 
now  you  are.  It 's  the  floe  for  all  of  us,  mark  my 
words." 

I  trembled  for  Clara;  and  just  then  her  dear 
voice  was  heard  calling  us  to  come  up-stairs. 
Northmour  showed  me  the  way,  and,  when  he 
had  reached  the  landing,  knocked  at  the  door  of 
what  used  to  be  called  My  Uncle's  Bedroom,  as 
the  founder  of  the  pavilion  had  designed  it  es 
pecially  for  himself. 

"  Come  in,  Northmour ;  come  in,  dear  Mr.  Cas- 
silis,"  said  a  voice  from  within. 

Pushing  open  the  door,  Northmour  admitted  me 
before  him  into  the  apartment.  As  I  came  in  I 
could  see  the  daughter  slipping  out  by  the  side 
door  into  the  study,  which  had  been  prepared  as 
her  bedroom.  In  the  bed,  which  was  drawn  back 
against  the  wall,  instead  of  standing,  as  I  had  last 
seen  it,  boldly  across  the  window,  sat  Bernard 
Huddlestone,  the  defaulting  banker.  Little  as  I 
had  seen  of  him  by  the  shifting  light  of  the  lan 
tern  on  the  links,  I  had  no  difficulty  in  recognis 
ing  him  for  the  same.  He  had  a  long  and  sallow 
countenance,  surrounded  by  a  long  red  beard  and 
side- whiskers.  His  broken  nose  and  high  cheek 
bones  gave  him  somewhat  the  air  of  a  Kalmuck, 


NEW    ARABIAN    NIGHTS     283 

and  his  light  eyes  shone  with  the  excitement  of  a 
high  fever.  He  wore  a  skull-cap  of  black  silk;  a 
huge  Bible  lay  open  before  him  on  the  bed,  with 
a  pair  of  gold  spectacles  in  the  place,  and  a  pile 
of  other  books  lay  on  the  stand  by  his  side.  The 
green  curtains  lent  a  cadaverous  shade  to  his  cheek ; 
and,  as  he  sat  propped  on  pillows,  his  great  stature 
was  painfully  hunched,  and  his  head  protruded 
till  it  overhung  his  knees.  I  believe  if  he  had 
not  died  otherwise,  he  must  have  fallen  a  victim 
to  consumption  in  the  course  of  but  a  very  few 
weeks. 

He  held  out  to  me  a  hand,  long,  thin,  and  dis 
agreeably  hairy. 

"  Come  in,  come  in,  Mr.  Cassilis,"  said  he. 
"  Another  protector  —  ahem !  —  another  protector. 
Always  welcome  as  a  friend  of  my  daughter's, 
Mr.  Cassilis.  How  they  have  rallied  about  me, 
my  daughter's  friends!  May  God  in  heaven  bless 
and  reward  them  for  it ! " 

I  gave  him  my  hand,  of  course,  because  I  could 
not  help  it ;  but  the  sympathy  I  had  been  prepared 
to  feel  for  Clara's  father  was  immediately  soured 
by  his  appearance,  and  the  wheedling,  unreal  tones 
in  which  he  spoke. 

"  Cassilis  is  a  good  man/'  said  Northmour ; 
"  worth  ten." 

"  So  I  hear,"  cried  Mr.  Huddlestone  eagerly ; 
"  so  my  girl  tells  me.  Ah,  Mr.  Cassilis,  my  sin 
has  found  me  out,  you  see!  I  am  very  low,  very 
low;  but  I  hope  equally  penitent.  We  must  all 
come  to  the  throne  of  grace  at  last,  Mr.  Cassilis. 


284     NEW    ARABIAN    NIGHTS 

For  my  part,  I  come  late  indeed;    but  with  un 
feigned  humility,  I  trust." 

"  Fiddle-de-dee !  "  said  Northmour  roughly. 

"  No,  no,  dear  Northmour !  "  cried  the  banker. 
"  You  must  not  say  that ;  you  must  not  try  to 
shake  me.  You  forget,  my  dear,  good  boy,  you 
forget  I  may  be  called  this  very  night  before  my 
Maker." 

His  excitement  was  pitiful  to  behold ;  and  I  felt 
myself  grow  indignant  with  Northmour,  whose  in 
fidel  opinions  I  well  knew,  and  heartily  derided,  as 
he  continued  to  taunt  the  poor  sinner  out  of  his 
humour  of  repentance. 

"  Pooh,  my  dear  Huddlestone !  "  said  he.  "  You 
do  yourself  injustice.  You  are  a  man  of  the  world 
inside  and  out,  and  were  up  to  all  kinds  of  mischief 
before  I  was  born.  Your  conscience  is  tanned  like 
South  American  leather  —  only  you  forgot  to  tan 
your  liver,  and  that,  if  you  will  believe  me,  is  the 
seat  of  the  annoyance." 

"  Rogue,  rogue !  bad  boy ! "  said  Mr.  Huddle- 
stone,  shaking  his  finger.  "  I  am  no  precisian,  if 
you  come  to  that ;  I  always  hated  a  precisian ;  but 
I  never  lost  hold  of  something  better  through  it 
all.  I  have  been  a  bad  boy,  Mr.  Cassilis;  I  do 
not  seek  to  deny  that;  but  it  was  after  my  wife's 
death,  and  you  know,  with  a  widower,  it 's  a  dif 
ferent  thing :  sinful  —  I  won't  say  no,  but  there 
is  a  gradation,  we  shall  hope.  And  talking  of 
that  —  Hark !  "  he  broke  out  suddenly,  his  hand 
raised,  his  fingers  spread,  his  face  racked  with 
interest  and  terror.  "  Only  the  rain,  bless  God !  " 


NEW    ARABIAN    NIGHTS     285 

he  added,  after  a  pause,  and  with  indescribable 
relief. 

For  some  seconds  he  lay  back  among  the  pillows 
like  a  man  near  to  fainting ;  then  he  gathered  him 
self  together,  and,  in  somewhat  tremulous  tones, 
began  once  more  to  thank  me  for  the  share  I  was 
prepared  to  take  in  his  defence. 

"  One  question,  sir,"  said  I,  when  he  had  paused. 
"  Is  it  true  that  you  have  money  with  you  ?  " 

He  seemed  annoyed  by  the  question,  but  ad 
mitted  with  reluctance  that  he  had  a  little. 

"  Well,"  I  continued,  "  it  is  their  money  they  are 
after,  is  it  not?  Why  not  give  it  up  to  them?  " 

"Ah!"  replied  he,  shaking  his  head,  "I  have 
tried  that  already,  Mr.  Cassilis;  and  alas!  that  it 
should  be  so,  but  it  is  blood  they  want." 

"  Huddlestone,  that 's  a  little  less  than  fair,"  said 
Northmour.  "  You  should  mention  that  what  you 
offered  them  was  upwards  of  two  hundred  thou 
sand  short.  The  deficit  is  worth  a  reference ;  it  is 
for  what  they  call  a  cool  sum,  Frank.  Then,  you 
see,  the  fellows  reason  in  their  clear  Italian  way; 
and  it  seems  to  them,  as  indeed  it  seems  to 
me,  that  they  may  just  as  well  have  both  while 
they  are  about  it  —  money  and  blood  together, 
by  George,  and  no  more  trouble  for  the  extra 
pleasure." 

"  Is  it  in  the  pavilion  ?  "  I  asked. 

"  It  is ;  and  I  wish  it  was  in  the  bottom  of  the 
sea  instead,"  said  Northmour;  and  then  suddenly 
—  "What  are  you  making  faces  at  me  for?"  he 
cried  to  Mr.  Huddlestone,  on  whom  I  had  uncon- 


286     NEW    ARABIAN    NIGHTS 

sciously  turned  my  back.  "  Do  you  think  Cassilis 
would  sell  you  ?  " 

Mr.  Huddlestone  protested  that  nothing  had  been 
further  from  his  mind. 

"  It  is  a  good  thing,"  retorted  Northmour  in  his 
ugliest  manner.  "  You  might  end  by  wearying  us. 
What  were  you  going  to  say?  "  he  abided,  turning 
to  me. 

"  I  was  going  to  propose  an  occupation  for  the 
afternoon,"  said  I.  "  Let  us  carry  that  money  out, 
piece  by  piece,  and  lay  it  down  before  the  pavilion 
door.  If  the  carbonari  come,  why,  it 's  theirs  at 
any  rate." 

"  No,  no,"  cried  Mr.  Huddlestone ;  "  it  does  not, 
it  cannot  belong  to  them !  It  should  be  distributed 
fro  rata  among  all  my  creditors." 

"  Come,  now,  Huddlestone,"  said  Northmour, 
"none  of  that." 

"  Well,  but  my  daughter,"  moaned  the  wretched 
/nan. 

"  Your  daughter  will  do  well  enough.  Here  are 
two  suitors,  Cassilis  and  I,  neither  of  us  beggars, 
between  whom  she  has  to  choose.  And  as  for 
yourself,  to  make  an  end  of  arguments,  you  have 
no  right  to  a  farthing,  and,  unless  I  'm  much  mis 
taken,  you  are  going  to  die." 

It  was  certainly  very  cruelly  said;  but  Mr. 
Huddlestone  was  a  man  who  attracted  little  sym 
pathy;  and,  although  I  saw  him  wince  and  shud 
der,  I  mentally  endorsed  the  rebuke;  nay,  I  added 
a  contribution  of  my  own. 

"  Northmour  and  I,"  I  said,  "  are  willing  enough 


NEW    ARABIAN    NIGHTS     287 

to  help  you  to  save  your  life,  but  not  to  escape  with 
stolen  property." 

He  struggled  for  awhile  with  himself,  as  though 
he  were  on  the  point  of  giving  way  to  anger,  but 
prudence  had  the  best  of  the  controversy. 

"  My  dear  boys,"  he  said,  "  do  with  me  or  my 
money  what  you  will.  I  leave  all  in  your  hands. 
Let  me  compose  myself." 

And  so  we  left  him,  gladly  enough  I  am  sure. 
The  last  that  I  saw,  he  had  once  more  taken  up 
his  great  Bible,  and  with  tremulous  hands  was 
adjusting  his  spectacles  to  read. 


CHAPTER  VII 

TELLS   HOW  A  WORD   WAS  CRIED  THROUGH 
THE   PAVILION   WINDOW 

THE  recollection  of  that  afternoon  will 
always  be  graven  on  my  mind.  North- 
mour  and  I  were  persuaded  that  an  attack 
was  imminent;  and  if  it  had  been  in  our  power 
to  alter  in  any  way  the  order  of  events,  that 
power  would  have  been  used  to  precipitate  rather 
than  delay  the  critical  moment.  The  worst  was 
to  be  anticipated;  yet  we  could  conceive  no  ex 
tremity  so  miserable  as  the  suspense  we  were  now 
suffering.  I  have  never  been  an  eager,  though 
always  a  great,  reader;  but  I  never  knew  books 
so  insipid  as  those  which  I  took  up  and  cast  aside 
that  afternoon  in  the  pavilion.  Even  talk  became 
impossible,  as  the  hours  went  on.  One  or  other 
was  always  listening  for  some  sound,  or  peering 
from  an  up-stairs  window  over  the  links.  And  yet 
not  a  sign  indicated  the  presence  of  our  foes. 

We  debated  over  and  over  again  my  proposal 
with  regard  to  the  money;  and  had  we  been  in 
complete  possession  of  our  faculties,  I  am  sure  we 
should  have  condemned  it  as  unwise ;  but  we  were 
flustered  with  alarm,  grasped  at  a  straw,  and  de 
termined,  although  it  was  as  much  as  advertising 


NEW    ARABIAN    NIGHTS     289 

Mr.  Huddlestone's  presence  in  the  pavilion,  to  carry 
my  proposal  into  effect. 

The  sum  was  part  in  specie,  part  in  bank  paper, 
and  part  in  circular  notes,  payable  to  the  name  of 
James  Gregory.  We  took  it  out,  counted  it,  en 
closed  it  once  more  in  a  despatch-box  belonging 
to  Northmour,  and  prepared  a  letter  in  Italian 
which  he  tied  to  the  handle.  It  was  signed  by 
both  of  us  under  oath,  and  declared  that  this  was 
all  the  money  which  had  escaped  the  failure  of  the 
house  of  Huddlestone.  This  was,  perhaps,  the 
maddest  action  ever  perpetrated  by  two  persons 
professing  to  be  sane.  Had  the  despatch-box  fallen 
into  other  hands  than  those  for  which  it  was  in 
tended,  we  stood  criminally  convicted  on  our  own 
written  testimony;  but,  as  I  have  said,  we  were 
neither  of  us  in  a  condition  to  judge  soberly,  and 
had  a  thirst  for  action  that  drove  us  to  do  some 
thing,  right  or  wrong,  rather  than  endure  the 
agony  of  waiting.  Moreover,  as  we  were  both 
convinced  that  the  hollows  of  the  links  were  alive 
with  hidden  spies  upon  our  movements,  we  hoped 
that  our  appearance  with  the  box  might  lead  to  a 
parley,  and,  perhaps,  a  compromise. 

It  was  nearly  three  when  we  issued  from  the 
pavilion.  The  rain  had  taken  off;  the  sun  shone 
quite  cheerfully.  I  have  never  seen  the  gulls  fly 
so  close  about  the  house  or  approach  so  fear 
lessly  to  human  beings.  On  the  very  doorstep 
one  flapped  heavily  past  our  heads,  and  uttered 
its  wild  cry  in  my  very  ear. 

"  There  is  an  omen  for  you,"  said  Northmour, 

VOL.   III.  —  19 


29o     NEW    ARABIAN    NIGHTS 

who  like  all  freethinkers  was  much  under  the 
influence  of  superstition.  "  They  think  we  are 
already  dead." 

I  made  some  light  rejoinder,  but  it  was  with 
half  my  heart ;  for  the  circumstance  had  impressed 
me. 

A  yard  or  two  before  the  gate,  on  a  patch  of 
smooth  turf,  we  set  down  the  despatch-box;  and 
Northmour  waved  a  white  handkerchief  over  his 
head.  Nothing  replied.  We  raised  our  voices, 
and  cried  aloud  in  Italian  that  we  were  there  as 
ambassadors  to  arrange  the  quarrel ;  but  the  still 
ness  remained  unbroken  save  by  the  sea-gulls  and 
the  surf.  I  had  a  weight  at  my  heart  when  we 
desisted,  and  I  saw  that  even  Northmour  was 
unusually  pale.  He  looked  over  his  shoulder  ner 
vously,  as  though  he  feared  that  some  one  had 
crept  between  him  and  the  pavilion  door. 

"  By  God,"  he  said  in  a  whisper,  "  this  is  too 
much  for  me!  " 

I  replied  in  the  same  key :  "  Suppose  there  should 
be  none,  after  all !  " 

"  Look  there,"  he  returned,  nodding  with  his 
head,  as  though  he  had  been  afraid  to  point. 

I  glanced  in  the  direction  indicated;  and  there, 
from  the  northern  corner  of  the  Sea- Wood,  be 
held  a  thin  column  of  smoke  rising  steadily  against 
the  now  cloudless  sky. 

"  Northmour,"  I  said  (we  still  continued  to  talk 
in  whispers),  "it  is  not  possible  to  endure  this 
suspense.  I  prefer  death  fifty  times  over.  Stay 
you  here  to  watch  the  pavilion;  I  will  go  forward 


NEW    ARABIAN    NIGHTS     291 

and  make  sure,  if  I  have  to  walk  right  into  their 
camp." 

He  looked  once  again  all  around  him  with  puck 
ered  eyes,  and  then  nodded  assentingly  to  my 
proposal. 

My  heart  beat  like  a  sledge-hammer  as  I  set  out 
walking  rapidly  in  the  direction  of  the  smoke ;  and 
though  up  to  that  moment  I  had  felt  chill  and  shiv 
ering,  I  was  suddenly  conscious  of  a  glow  of  heat 
over  all  my  body.  The  ground  in  this  direction 
was  very  uneven;  a  hundred  men  might  have  lain 
hidden  in  as  many  square  yards  about  my  path. 
But  I  had  not  practised  the  business  in  vain,  chose 
such  routes  as  cut  at  the  very  root  of  concealment, 
and,  by  keeping  along  the  most  convenient  ridges, 
commanded  several  hollows  at  a  time.  It  was  not 
long  before  I  was  rewarded  for  my  caution.  Com 
ing  suddenly  on  to  a  mound  somewhat  more  ele 
vated  than  the  surrounding  hummocks,  I  saw,  not 
thirty  yards  away,  a  man  bent  almost  double,  and 
running  as  fast  as  his  attitude  permitted,  along  the 
bottom  of  a  gully.  I  had  dislodged  one  of  the 
spies  from  his  ambush.  As  soon  as  I  sighted  him, 
I  called  loudly  both  in  English  and  Italian;  and 
he,  seeing  concealment  was  no  longer  possible, 
straightened  himself  out,  leaped  from  the  gully, 
and  made  off  as  straight  as  an  arrow  for  the  bor 
ders  of  the  wood. 

It  was  none  of  my  business  to  pursue;  I  had 
learned  what  I  wanted  —  that  we  were  beleaguered 
and  watched  in  the  pavilion;  and  I  returned  at 
once,  and  walking  as  nearly  as  possible  in  my  old 


292     NEW    ARABIAN    NIGHTS 

footsteps,  to  where  Northmour  awaited  me  beside 
the  despatch-box.  He  was  even  paler  than  when 
I  had  left  him,  and  his  voice  shook  a  little. 

"  Could  you  see  what  he  was  like  ?  "  he  asked. 

"  He  kept  his  back  turned,"  I  replied. 

"  Let  us  go  into  the  house,  Frank.  I  don't  think 
I  'm  a  coward,  but  I  can  stand  no  more  of  this/' 
he  whispered. 

All  was  still  and  sunshiny  about  the  pavilion  as 
we  turned  to  re-enter  it;  even  the  gulls  had  flown 
in  a  wider  circuit,  and  were  seen  flickering  along 
the  beach  and  sand-hills;  and  this  loneliness  ter 
rified  me  more  than  a  regiment  under  arms.  It 
was  not  until  the  door  was  barricaded  that  I  could 
draw  a  full  inspiration  and  relieve  the  weight  that 
lay  upon  my  bosom.  Northmour  and  I  exchanged 
a  steady  glance ;  and  I  suppose  each  made  his  own 
reflections  on  the  white  and  startled  aspect  of  the 
other. 

"  You  were  right,"  I  said.  "  All  is  over.  Shake 
hands,  old  man,  for  the  last  time." 

"  Yes,"  replied  he,  "  I  will  shake  hands ;  for,  as 
sure  as  I  am  here,  I  bear  no  malice.  But,  remem 
ber,  if,  by  some  impossible  accident,  we  should 
give  the  slip  to  these  blackguards,  I  '11  take  the 
upper-hand  of  you  by  fair  or  foul." 

"  Oh/'  said  I,  "  you  weary  me." 

He  seemed  hurt,  and  walked  away  in  silence 
to  the  foot  of  the  stairs,  where  he  paused. 

"  You  do  not  understand  me,"  said  he,  "  I  am 
not  a  swindler,  and  I  guard  myself;  that  is  all. 
It  may  weary  you  or  not,  Mr.  Cassilis,  I  do  not 


NEW    ARABIAN    NIGHTS     293 

care  a  rush ;  I  speak  for  my  own  satisfaction,  and 
not  for  your  amusement.  You  had  better  go  up 
stairs  and  court  the  girl ;  for  my  part,  I  stay  here." 

"  And  I  stay  with  you,"  I  returned.  "  Do  you 
think  I  would  steal  a  march,  even  with  your 
permission  ?  " 

"  Frank,"  he  said,  smiling,  "  it 's  a  pity  you  are 
an  ass,  for  you  have  the  makings  of  a  man.  I 
think  I  must  be  fey  to-day;  you  cannot  irritate 
me,  even  when  you  try.  Do  you  know,"  he  con 
tinued  softly,  "  I  think  we  are  the  two  most  miser 
able  men  in  England,  you  and  I?  we  have  got 
on  to  thirty  without  wife  or  child,  or  so  much  as 
a  shop  to  look  after  —  poor,  pitiful,  lost  devils, 
both!  And  now  we  clash  about  a  girl!  As  if 
there  were  not  several  millions  in  the  United  King 
dom!  Ah,  Frank,  Frank,  the  one  who  loses  his 
throw,  be  it  you  or  me,  he  has  my  pity!  It  were 
better  for  him  —  how  does  the  Bible  say  ?  —  that 
a  millstone  were  hanged  about  his  neck  and  he 
were  cast  into  the  depth  of  the  sea.  Let  us  take 
a  drink,"  he  concluded  suddenly,  but  without  any 
levity  of  tone. 

I  was  touched  by  his  words,  and  consented.  He 
sat  down  on  the  table  in  the  dining-room,  and  held 
up  the  glass  of  sherry  to  his  eye. 

"  If  you  beat  me,  Frank,"  he  said,  "  I  shall  take 
to  drink.  What  will  you  do  if  it  goes  the  other 
way?" 

"  God  knows,"  I  returned. 

"  Well,"  said  he,  "  here  is  a  toast  in  the  mean 
time:  '  Italia  irredenta! '  " 


294     NEW    ARABIAN    NIGHTS 

The  remainder  of  the  day  was  passed  in  the  same 
dreadful  tedium  and  suspense.  I  laid  the  table  for 
dinner,  while  Northmour  and  Clara  prepared  the 
meal  together  in  the  kitchen.  I  could  hear  their 
talk  as  I  went  to  and  fro,  and  was  surprised  to 
find  it  ran  all  the  time  upon  myself.  Northmour 
again  bracketed  us  together,  and  rallied  Clara  on 
a  choice  of  husbands;  but  he  continued  to  speak 
of  me  with  some  feeling,  and  uttered  nothing  to 
my  prejudice  unless  he  included  himself  in  the 
condemnation.  This  awakened  a  sense  of  grati 
tude  in  my  heart,  which  combined  with  the  imme- 
diateness  of  our  peril  to  fill  my  eyes  with  tears. 
After  all,  I  thought  —  and  perhaps  the  thought  was 
laughably  vain  —  we  were  here  three  very  noble 
human  beings  to  perish  in  defence  of  a  thieving 
banker. 

Before  we  sat  down  to  table,  I  looked  forth 
from  an  up-stairs  window.  The  day  was  begin 
ning  to  decline ;  the  links  were  utterly  deserted ; 
the  despatch-box  still  lay  untouched  where  we  had 
left  it  hours  before. 

Mr.  Huddlestone,  in  a  long  yellow  dressing- 
gown,  took  one  end  of  the  table,  Clara  the  other; 
while  Northmour  and  I  faced  each  other  from  the 
sides.  The  lamp  was  brightly  trimmed ;  the  wine 
was  good;  the  viands,  although  mostly  cold,  ex 
cellent  of  their  sort.  We  seemed  to  have  agreed 
tacitly;  all  reference  to  the  impending  catastrophe 
was  carefully  avoided ;  and,  considering  our  tragic 
circumstances,  we  made  a  merrier  party  than  couM 
have  been  expected.  From  time  to  time,  it  is  true, 


NEW    ARABIAN    NIGHTS     295 

Northmour  or  I  would  rise  from  the  table  and  make 
a  round  of  the  defences;  and  on  each  of  these 
occasions  Mr.  Huddlestone  was  recalled  to  a  sense 
of  his  tragic  predicament,  glanced  up  with  ghastly 
eyes,  and  bore  for  an  instant  on  his  countenance 
the  stamp  of  terror.  But  he  hastened  to  empty 
his  glass,  wiped  his  forehead  with  his  handker 
chief,  and  joined  again  in  the  conversation. 

I  was  astonished  at  the  wit  and  information  he 
displayed.  Mr.  Huddlestone's  was  certainly  no 
ordinary  character;  he  had  read  and  observed 
for  himself;  his  gifts  were  sound;  and,  though  I 
could  never  have  learned  to  love  the  man,  I  began 
to  understand  his  success  in  business,  and  the  great 
respect  in  which  he  had  been  held  before  his  failure. 
He  had,  above  all,  the  talent  of  society ;  and  though 
I  never  heard  him  speak  but  on  this  one  and  most 
unfavourable  occasion,  I  set  him  down  among  the 
most  brilliant  conversationalists  I  ever  met. 

He  was  relating  with  great  gusto,  and  seem 
ingly  no  feeling  of  shame,  the  manoeuvres  of  a 
scoundrelly  commission  merchant  whom  he  had 
known  and  studied  in  his  youth,  and  we  were  all 
listening  with  an  odd  mixture  of  mirth  and  em 
barrassment,  when  our  little  party  was  brought 
abruptly  to  an  end  in  the  most  startling  manner. 

A  noise  like  that  of  a  wet  finger  on  the  window- 
pane  interrupted  Mr.  Huddlestone' s  tale;  and  in 
an  instant  we  were  all  four  as  white  as  paper, 
and  sat  tongue-tied  and  motionless  round  the 
table. 

"A  snail,'1  I  said  at  last;    for  I  had  heard  that 


296     NEW    ARABIAN    NIGHTS 

these  animals  make  a  noise  somewhat  similar  in 
character. 

"  Snail  be  d— d !  "  said  Northmour.     "  Hush !  " 

The  same  sound  was  repeated  twice  at  regular 
intervals;  and  then  a  formidable  voice  shouted 
through  the  shutters  the  Italian  word  "  Tr  adit  ore!  " 

Mr.  Huddlestone  threw  his  head  in  the  air;  his 
eyelids  quivered;  next  moment  he  fell  insensible 
below  the  table.  Northmour  and  I  had  each  run 
to  the  armoury  and  seized  a  gun.  Clara  was  on 
her  feet  with  her  hand  at  her  throat. 

So  we  stood  waiting,  for  we  thought  the  hour 
of  attack  was  certainly  come;  but  second  passed 
after  second,  and  all  but  the  surf  remained  silent 
in  the  neighbourhood  of  the  pavilion. 

"  Quick,"  said  Northmour;  "  up-stairs  with  him 
before  they  come." 


CHAPTER  VIII 

TELLS   THE    LAST    OF   THE   TALL   MAN 

SOMEHOW  or  other,  by  hook  and  crook, 
and  between  the  three  of  us,  we  got  Ber 
nard  Huddlestone  bundled  up-stairs  and 
laid  upon  the  bed  in  My  Uncle's  Room.  During 
the  whole  process,  which  was  rough  enough,  he 
gave  no  sign  of  consciousness,  and  he  remained, 
as  we  had  thrown  him,  without  changing  the 
position  of  a  finger.  His  daughter  opened  his 
shirt  and  began  to  wet  his  head  and  bosom; 
while  Northmour  and  I  ran  to  the  window.  The 
weather  continued  clear;  the  moon,  which  was 
now  about  full,  had  risen  and  shed  a  very  clear 
light  upon  the  links;  yet,  strain  our  eyes  as  we 
might,  we  could  distinguish  nothing  moving.  A 
few  dark  spots,  more  or  less,  on  the  uneven  ex 
panse  were  not  to  be  identified;  they  might  be 
crouching  men,  they  might  be  shadows;  it  was 
impossible  to  be  sure. 

'  Thank  God,"  said  Northmour,  "  Aggie  is  not 
coming  to-night." 

Aggie  was  the  name  of  the  old  nurse;  he  had 
not  thought  of  her  till  now;  but  that  he  should 
think  of  her  at  all,  was  a  trait  that  surprised  me 
in  the  man. 


298     NEW    ARABIAN    NIGHTS 

We  were  again  reduced  to  waiting.  Northmour 
went  to  the  fireplace  and  spread  his  hands  before 
the  red  embers,  as  if  he  were  cold.  I  followed  him 
mechanically  with  my  eyes,  and  in  so  doing  turned 
my  back  upon  the  window.  At  that  moment  a  very 
faint  report  was  audible  from  without,  and  a  ball 
shivered  a  pane  of  glass,  and  buried  itself  in  the 
shutter  two  inches  from  my  head.  I  heard  Clara 
scream;  and  though  I  whipped  instantly  out  of 
range  and  into  a  corner,  she  was  there,  so  to  speak, 
before  me,  beseeching  to  know  if  I  were  hurt.  I 
felt  that  I  could  stand  to  be  shot  at  every  day  and 
all  day  long,  with  such  marks  of  solicitude  for  a 
reward ;  and  I  continued  to  reassure  her,  with  the 
tenderest  caresses  and  in  complete  forgetfulness  of 
our  situation,  till  the  voice  of  Northmour  recalled 
me  to  myself. 

"  An  air-gun,"  he  said.  "  They  wish  to  make 
no  noise." 

I  put  Clara  aside,  and  looked  at  him.  He  was 
standing  with  his  back  to  the  fire  and  his  hands 
clasped  behind  him ;  and  I  knew  by  the  black  look 
on  his  face,  that  passion  was  boiling  within.  I 
had  seen  just  such  a  look  before  he  attacked  me, 
that  March  night,  in  the  adjoining  chamber;  and, 
though  I  could  make  every  allowance  for  his  anger, 
I  confess  I  trembled  for  the  consequences.  He 
gazed  straight  before  him ;  but  he  could  see  us 
with  the  tail  of  his  eye,  and  his  temper  kept  rising 
like  a  gale  of  wind.  With  regular  battle  awaiting 
us  outside,  this  prospect  of  an  internecine  strife 
within  the  walls  began  to  daunt  me. 


NEW    ARABIAN    NIGHTS     299 

Suddenly,  as  I  was  thus  closely  watching  his 
expression  and  prepared  against  the  worst,  I  saw 
a  change,  a  flash,  a  look  of  relief,  upon  his  face. 
He  took  up  the  lamp  which  stood  beside  him  on 
the  table,  and  turned  to  us  with  an  air  of  some 
excitement. 

"  There  is  one  point  that  we  must  know/'  said 
he.  "  Are  they  going  to  butcher  the  lot  of  us, 
or  only  Huddlestone  ?  Did  they  take  you  for  him, 
or  fire  at  you  for  your  own  beaux  yeux?  " 

1  They  took  me  for  him,  for  certain,"  I  replied. 
"  I  am  near  as  tall,  and  my  head  is  fair." 

"  I  am  going  to  make  sure/'  returned  North- 
mour;  and  he  stepped  up  to  the  window,  holding 
the  lamp  above  his  head,  and  stood  there,  quietly 
affronting  death,  for  half  a  minute. 

Clara  sought  to  rush  forward  and  pull  him  from 
the  place  of  danger;  but  I  had  the  pardonable 
selfishness  to  hold  her  back  by  force. 

'  Yes,"  said  Northmour,  turning  coolly  from  the 
window ;  "  it 's  only  Huddlestone  they  want/' 

"Oh,  Mr.  Northmour!"  cried  Clara;  but 
found  no  more  to  add;  the  temerity  she  had 
just  witnessed  seeming  beyond  the  reach  of 
words. 

He,  on  his  part,  looked  at  me,  cocking  his  head, 
with  a  fire  of  triumph  in  his  eyes;  and  I  under 
stood  at  once  that  he  had  thus  hazarded  his  life, 
merely  to  attract  Clara's  notice,  and  depose  me 
from  my  position  as  the  hero  of  the  hour.  He 
snapped  his  fingers. 

"  The  fire  is  only  beginning,"  he  said.     "  When 


300     NEW    ARABIAN    NIGHTS 

they  warm  up  to  their  work,  they  won't  be  so 
particular." 

A  voice  was  now  heard  hailing  us  from  the 
entrance.  From  the  window  we  could  see  the 
figure  of  a  man  in  the  moonlight;  he  stood  mo 
tionless,  his  face  uplifted  to  ours,  and  a  rag  of 
something  white  on  his  extended  arm;  and  as  we 
looked  right  down  upon  him,  though  he  was  a 
good  many  yards  distant  on  the  links,  we  could 
see  the  moonlight  glitter  on  his  eyes. 

He  opened  his  lips  again,  and  spoke  for  some 
minutes  on  end,  in  a  key  so  loud  that  he  might 
have  been  heard  in  every  corner  of  the  pavilion, 
and  as  far  away  as  the  borders  of  the  wood.  It 
was  the  same  voice  that  had  already  shouted 
"  Tr adit ore! "  through  the  shutters  of  the  dining- 
room;  this  time  it  made  a  complete  and  clear 
statement.  If  the  traitor  "  Oddlestone "  were 
given  up,  all  others  should  be  spared;  if  not,  no 
one  should  escape  to  tell  the  tale. 

"  Well,  Huddlestone,  what  do  you  say  to  that?  " 
asked  Northmour,  turning  to  the  bed. 

Up  to  that  moment  the  banker  had  given  no 
sign  of  life,  and  I,  at  least,  had  supposed  him  to 
be  still  lying  in  a  faint;  but  he  replied  at  once, 
and  in  such  tones  as  I  have  never  heard  else 
where,  save  from  a  delirious  patient,  adjured  and 
besought  us  not  to  desert  him.  It  was  the  most 
hideous  and  abject  performance  that  my  imagina 
tion  can  conceive. 

"  Enough,"  cried  Northmour ;  and  then  he  threw 
open  the  window,  leaned  out  into  the  night,  and  in 


NEW    ARABIAN    NIGHTS     301 

a  tone  of  exultation,  and  with  a  total  forgetfulness 
of  what  was  due  to  the  presence  of  a  lady,  poured 
out  upon  the  ambassador  a  string  of  the  most 
abominable  raillery  both  in  English  and  Italian, 
and  bade  him  be  gone  where  he  had  come  from. 
I  believe  that  nothing  so  delighted  Northmour  at 
that  moment  as  the  thought  that  we  must  all  in 
fallibly  perish  before  the  night  was  out. 

Meantime  the  Italian  put  his  flag  of  truce  into 
his  pocket,  and  disappeared,  at  a  leisurely  pace, 
among  the  sand-hills. 

"  They  make  honourable  war/'  said  Northmour. 
"  They  are  all  gentlemen  and  soldiers.  For  the 
credit  of  the  thing,  I  wish  we  could  change  sides 
• — you  and  I,  Frank,  and  you  too,  Missy  my  dar 
ling  —  and  leave  that  being  on  the  bed  to  some 
one  else.  Tut!  Don't  look  shocked!  We  are  all 
going  post  to  what  they  call  eternity,  and  may  as 
well  be  above-board  while  there  's  time.  As  far 
as  I  'm  concerned,  if  I  could  first  strangle  Huddle- 
stone  and  then  get  Clara  in  my  arms,  I  could  die 
with  some  pride  and  satisfaction.  And  as  it  is, 
by  God,  I'll  have  a  kiss!" 

Before  I  could  do  anything  to  interfere,  he  had 
rudely  embraced  and  repeatedly  kissed  the  resist 
ing  girl.  Next  moment  I  had  pulled  him  away 
with  fury,  and  flung  him  heavily  against  the  wall. 
He  laughed  loud  and  long,  and  I  feared  his  wits 
had  given  way  under  the  strain;  for  even  in  the 
best  of  days  he  had  been  a  sparing  and  a  quiet 
laugher. 

"  Now,  Frank,"  said  he,  when  his  mirth  had 


302     NEW    ARABIAN    NIGHTS 

somewhat  appeased,  "  it 's  your  turn.  Here  's  my 
hand.  Good-bye ;  farewell !  "  Then,  seeing  me 
stand  rigid  and  indignant,  and  holding  Clara  to  my 
side  —  "Man!"  he  broke  out,  "are  you  angry? 
Did  you  think  we  were  going  to  die  with  all  the 
airs  and  graces  of  society  ?  I  took  a  kiss ;  I  'm 
glad  I  had  it;  and  now  you  can  take  another  if 
you  like,  and  square  accounts." 

I  turned  from  him  with  a  feeling  of  contempt 
which  I  did  not  seek  to  dissemble. 

"  As  you  please,"  said  he.  "  You  Ve  been  a  prig 
in  life ;  a  prig  you  '11  die." 

And  with  that  he  sat  down  in  a  chair,  a  rifle 
over  the  knee,  and  amused  himself  with  snapping 
the  lock ;  but  I  could  see  that  his  ebullition  of  light; 
spirits  (the  only  one  I  ever  knew  him  to  display) 
had  already  come  to  an  end,  and  was  succeeded  by 
a  sullen,  scowling  humour. 

All  this  time  our  assailants  might  have  been 
entering  the  house,  and  we  been  none  the  wiser; 
we  had  in  truth  almost  forgotten  the  danger  that 
so  imminently  overhung  our  days.  But  just  then 
Mr.  Huddlestone  uttered  a  cry,  and  leaped  from 
the  bed. 

I  asked  him  what  was  wrong. 

"  Fire !  "  he  cried.  "  They  have  set  the  house 
on  fire!" 

Northmour  was  on  his  feet  in  an  instant,  and 
he  and  I  ran  through  the  door  of  communication 
with  the  study.  The  room  was  illuminated  by  a 
red  and  angry  light.  Almost  at  the  moment  of 
our  entrance,  a  tower  of  flame  arose  in  front  of 


NEW    ARABIAN    NIGHTS     303 

the  window,  and,  with  a  tingling  report,  a  pane 
fell  inwards  on  the  carpet.  They  had  set  fire  to 
the  lean-to  out-house,  where  Northmour  used  to 
nurse  his  negatives. 

"  Hot  work,"  said  Northmour.  "  Let  us  try  in 
your  old  room." 

We  ran  thither  in  a  breath,  threw  up  the  case 
ment,  and  looked  forth.  Along  the  whole  back 
wall  of  the  pavilion  piles  of  fuel  had  been  arranged 
and  kindled ;  and  it  is  probable  they  had  been 
drenched  with  mineral  oil,  for,  in  spite  of  the 
morning's  rain,  they  all  burned  bravely.  The  fire 
had  taken  a  firm  hold  already  on  the  out-house, 
which  blazed  higher  and  higher  every  moment; 
the  back  door  was  in  the  centre  of  a  red-hot  bon 
fire  ;  the  eaves  we  could  see,  as  we  looked  upward, 
were  already  smouldering,  for  the  roof  overhung, 
and  was  supported  by  considerable  beams  of  wood. 
At  the  same  time,  hot,  pungent,  and  choking  vol 
umes  of  smoke  began  to  fill  the  house.  There  was 
not  a  human  being  to  be  seen  to  right  or  left. 

"  Ah,  well !  "  said  Northmour,  "  here  's  the  end, 
thank  God." 

And  we  returned  to  My  Uncle's  Room.  Mr. 
Huddlestone  was  putting  on  his  boots,  still  vio 
lently  trembling,  but  with  an  air  of  determination 
such  as  I  had  not  hitherto  observed.  Clara  stood 
close  by  him,  with  her  cloak  in  both  hands  ready 
to  throw  about  her  shoulders,  and  a  strange  look 
in  her  eyes,  as  if  she  were  half  hopeful,  half  doubt 
ful  of  her  father. 

K  Well,  boys  and  girls,"  said  Northmour,  "  how 


304     NEW    ARABIAN    NIGHTS 

about  a  sally  ?  The  oven  is  heating ;  it  is  not  good 
to  stay  here  and  be  baked;  and,  for  my  part,  I 
want  to  come  to  my  hands  with  them  and  be  done." 

"  There  is  nothing  else  left,"  I  replied. 

And  both  Clara  and  Mr.  Huddlestone,  though 
with  a  very  different  intonation,  added,  "  Nothing." 

As  we  went  down-stairs  the  heat  was  excessive, 
and  the  roaring  of  the  fire  filled  our  ears ;  and  we 
had  scarce  reached  the  passage  before  the  stairs 
window  fell  in,  a  branch  of  flame  shot  brandish 
ing  through  the  aperture,  and  the  interior  of  the 
pavilion  became  lit  up  with  that  dreadful  and  fluc 
tuating  glare.  At  the  same  moment  we  heard  the 
fall  of  something  heavy  and  inelastic  in  the  upper 
story.  The  whole  pavilion,  it  was  plain,  had  gone 
alight  like  a  box  of  matches,  and  now  not  only 
flamed  sky-high  to  land  and  sea,  but  threatened 
with  every  moment  to  crumble  and  fall  in  about 
our  ears. 

Northmour  and  I  cocked  our  revolvers.  Mr. 
Huddlestone,  who  had  already  refused  a  firearm, 
put  us  behind  him  with  a  manner  of  command. 

"  Let  Clara  open  the  door,"  said  he.  "  So,  if 
they  fire  a  volley,  she  will  be  protected.  And  in 
the  meantime  stand  behind  me.  I  am  the  scape 
goat  ;  my  sins  have  found  me  out." 

I  heard  him,  as  I  stood  breathless  by  his  shoul 
der,  with  my  pistol  ready,  pattering  off  prayers  in 
a  tremulous,  rapid  whisper;  and  I  confess,  horrid 
as  the  thought  may  seem,  I  despised  him  for  think 
ing  of  supplications  in  a  moment  so  critical  and 
thrilling.  In  the  meantime,  Clara,  who  was  dead 


NEW    ARABIAN    NIGHTS     305 

white,  but  still  possessed  her  faculties,  had  displaced 
the  barricade  from  the  front  door.  Another  mo 
ment,  and  she  had  pulled  it  open.  Firelight  and 
moonlight  illuminated  the  links  with  confused  and 
changeful  lustre,  and  far  away  against  the  sky  we 
could  see  a  long  trail  of  glowing  smoke. 

Mr.  Huddlestone,  rilled  for  the  moment  with  a 
strength  greater  than  his  own,  struck  Northmour 
and  myself  a  back-hander  in  the  chest;  and  while 
we  were  thus  for  the  moment  incapacitated  from 
action,  lifting  his  arms  above  his  head  like  one 
about  to  dive,  he  ran  straight  forward  out  of  the 
pavilion. 

"  Here  am  I !  "  he  cried  —  "  Huddlestone !  Kill 
me,  and  spare  the  others !  " 

His  sudden  appearance  daunted,  I  suppose,  our 
hidden  enemies;  for  Northmour  and  I  had  time 
to  recover,  to  seize  Clara  between  us,  orte  by  each 
arm,  and  to  rush  forth  to  his  assistance,  ere  any 
thing  further  had  taken  place.  But  scarce  had  we 
passed  the  threshold  when  there  came  near  a  dozen 
reports  and  flashes  from  every  direction  among  the 
hollows  of  the  links.  Mr.  Huddlestone  staggered, 
uttered  a  weird  and  freezing  cry,  threw  up  his  arms 
over  his  head,  and  fell  backward  on  the  turf. 

"  Traditore!  Traditore! "  cried  the  invisible 
avengers. 

And  just  then,  a  part  of  the  roof  of  the  pavilion 
fell  in,  so  rapid  was  the  progress  of  the  fire.  A 
loud,  vague,  and  horrible  noise  accompanied  the 
collapse,  and  a  vast  volume  of  flame  went  soar 
ing  up  to  heaven.  It  must  have  been  visible 

VOL.    III.  —  20 


306     NEW    ARABIAN    NIGHTS 

at  that  moment  from  twenty  miles  out  at  sea, 
from  the  shore  at  Graden  Wester,  and  far  in 
land  from  the  peak  of  Graystiel,  the  most  eastern 
summit  of  the  Caulder  Hills.  Bernard  Huddle- 
stone,  although  God  knows  what  were  his  obse 
quies,  had  a  fine  pyre  at  the  moment  of  hii 
death. 


CHAPTER    IX 

TELLS   HOW   NORTHMOUR    CARRIED   OUT 
HIS   THREAT 

I  SHOULD  have  the  greatest  difficulty  to  tell 
you  what  followed  next  after  this  tragic 
circumstance.  It  is  all  to  me,  as  I  look 
back  upon  it,  mixed,  strenuous,  and  ineffectual, 
like  the  struggles  of  a  sleeper  in  a  nightmare. 
Clara,  I  remember,  uttered  a  broken  sigh  and 
would  have  fallen  forward  to  earth,  had  not 
Northmour  and  I  supported  her  insensible  body. 
I  do  not  think  we  were  attacked;  I  do  not  re 
member  even  to  have  seen  an  assailant;  and  I 
believe  we  deserted  Mr.  Huddlestone  without  a 
glance.  I  only  remember  running  like  a  man  in 
a  panic,  now  carrying  Clara  altogether  in  my  own 
arms,  now  sharing  her  weight  with  Northmour, 
now  scuffling  confusedly  for  the  possession  of  that 
dear  burden.  Why  we  should  have  made  for  my 
camp  in  the  Hemlock  Den,  or  how  we  reached  it, 
are  points  lost  for  ever  to  my  recollection.  The 
first  moment  at  which  I  became  definitely  sure, 
Clara  had  been  suffered  to  fall  against  the  outside 
of  my  little  tent,  Northmour  and  I  were  tumbling 
together  on  the  ground,  and  he,  with  contained 
ferocity,  was  striking  for  my  head  with  the  butt  of 


3o8     NEW    ARABIAN    NIGHTS 

his  revolver.  He  had  already  twice  wounded  me 
on  the  scalp;  and  it  is  to  the  consequent  loss  of 
blood  that  I  am  tempted  to  attribute  the  sudden 
clearness  of  my  mind. 

I  caught  him  by  the  wrist. 

"  Northmour,"  I  remember  saying,  "  you  can  kill 
me  afterwards.  Let  us  first  attend  to  Clara." 

He  was  at  that  moment  uppermost.  Scarcely 
had  the  words  passed  my  lips,  when  he  had  leaped 
to  his  feet  and  ran  towards  the  tent ;  and  the  next 
moment,  he  was  straining  Clara  to  his  heart  and 
covering  her  unconscious  hands  and  face  with  his 
caresses. 

"  Shame !  "  I  cried.  "  Shame  to  you,  North- 
mour !  " 

And,  giddy  though  I  still  was,  I  struck  him  re 
peatedly  upon  the  head  and  shoulders. 

He  relinquished  his  grasp,  and  faced  me  in  the 
broken  moonlight. 

"I  had  you  under,  and  let  you  go,"  said  he; 
"  and  now  you  strike  me !  Coward !  " 

"  You  are  the  coward,"  I  retorted.  "  Did  she 
wish  your  kisses  while  she  was  still  sensible  of 
what  she  wanted?  Not  she!  And  now  she  may 
be  dying;  and  you  waste  this  precious  time,  and 
abuse  her  helplessness.  Stand  aside,  and  let  me 
help  her." 

He  confronted  me  for  a  moment,  white  and 
menacing;  then  suddenly  he  stepped  aside. 

"  Help  her  then,"  said  he. 

I  threw  myself  on  my  knees  beside  her,  and  loos 
ened,  as  well  as  I  was  able,  her  dress  and  corset; 


NEW    ARABIAN    NIGHTS     309 

but  while  I  was  thus  engaged,  a  grasp  descended 
on  my  shoulder. 

"  Keep  your  hands  off  her,"  said  Northmour 
fiercely.  "  Do  you  think  I  have  no  blood  in  my 
veins?  " 

"  Northmour,"  I  cried,  "  if  you  will  neither  help 
her  yourself,  nor  let  me  do  so,  do  you  know  that  I 
shall  have  to  kill  you  ?  " 

"  That  is  better.!  "  he  cried.  "  Let  her  die  also, 
where  's  the  harm  ?  Step  aside  from  that  girl !  and 
stand  up  to  fight." 

:<  You  will  observe,"  said  I,  half  rising,  "  that 
I  have  not  kissed  her  yet." 

"  I  dare  you  to,"  he  cried. 

I  do  not  know  what  possessed  me;  it  was  one 
of  the  things  I  am  most  ashamed  of  in  my  life, 
though,  as  my  wife  used  to  say,  I  knew  that  my 
kisses  would  be  always  welcome  were  she  dead  or 
living;  down  I  fell  again  upon  my  knees,  parted 
the  hair  from  her  forehead,  and,  with  the  dearest 
respect,  laid  my  lips  for  a  moment  on  that  cold 
brow.  It  was  such  a  caress  as  a  father  might  have 
given;  it  was  such  a  one  as  was  not  unbecoming 
from  a  man  soon  to  die  to  a  woman  already  dead. 

"  And  now,"  said  I,  "  I  am  at  your  service,  Mr. 
Northmour." 

But  I  saw,  to  my  surprise,  that  he  had  turned 
his  back  upon  me. 

"Do  you  hear?"  I  asked. 

"  Yes,"  said  he,  "  I  do.  If  you  wish  to  fight,  I 
am  ready.  If  not,  go  on  and  save  Clara.  All  is 
one  to  me." 


3ic     NEW    ARABIAN    NIGHTS 

I  did  not  wait  to  be  twice  bidden ;  but,  stooping 
again  over  Clara,  continued  my  efforts  to  revive 
her.  She  still  lay  white  and  lifeless;  I  began  to 
fear  that  her  sweet  spirit  had  indeed  fled  beyond 
recall,  and  horror  and  a  sense  of  utter  desolation 
seized  upon  my  heart.  I  called  her  by  name  with 
the  most  endearing  inflections;  I  chafed  and  beat 
her  hands ;  now  I  laid  her  head  low,  now  supported 
it  against  my  knee;  but  all  seemed  to  be  in  vain, 
and  the  lids  still  lay  heavy  on  her  eyes. 

"  Northmour,"  I  said,  "  there  is  my  hat.  For 
God's  sake  bring  some  water  from  the  spring." 

Almost  in  a  moment  he  was  by  my  side  with 
the  water. 

"  I  have  brought  it  in  my  own,"  he  said.  "  You 
do  not  grudge  me  the  privilege?" 

"  Northmour,"  I  was  beginning  to  say,  as  I 
laved  her  head  and  breast;  but  he  interrupted  me 
savagely. 

"  Oh,  you  hush  up !  "  he  said.  "  The  best  thing 
you  can  do  is  to  say  nothing." 

I  had  certainly  no  desire  to  talk,  my  mind  being 
swallowed  up  in  concern  for  my  dear  love  and  her 
condition;  so  I  continued  in  silence  to  do  my  best 
towards  her  recovery,  and,  when  the  hat  was  empty, 
returned  it  to  him,  with  one  word  —  "  More."  He 
had,  perhaps,  gone  several  times  upon  this  errand, 
when  Clara  reopened  her  eyes. 

"  Now,"  said  he,  "  since  she  is  better,  you  can 
spare  me,  can  you  not?  I  wish  you  a  good-night, 
Mr.  Cassilis." 

And  with  that  he  was  gone  among  the  thicket. 


NEW    ARABIAN    NIGHTS    311 

I  made  a  fire,  for  I  had  now  no  fear  of  the  Italians, 
who  had  even  spared  all  the  little  possessions  left 
in  my  encampment ;  and,  broken  as  she  was  by  the 
excitement  and  the  hideous  catastrophe  of  the  even 
ing,  I  managed,  in  one  way  or  another  —  by  per 
suasion,  encouragement,  warmth,  and  such  simple 
remedies  as  I  could  lay  my  hand  on  —  to  bring 
her  back  to  some  composure  of  mind  and  strength 
of  body. 

Day  had  already  come,  when  a  sharp  "  Hist ! " 
sounded  from  the  thicket.  I  started  from  the 
ground;  but  the  voice  of  Northmour  was  heard 
adding,  in  the  most  tranquil  tones :  "  Come  here, 
Cassilis,  and  alone;  I  want  to  show  you  some 
thing." 

I  consulted  Clara  with  my  eyes,  and,  receiving 
her  tacit  permission,  left  her  alone,  and  clambered 
out  of  the  den.  At  some  distance  off  I  saw  North 
mour  leaning  against  an  elder ;  and,  as  soon  as  he 
perceived  me,  he  began  walking  seaward.  I  had 
almost  overtaken  him  as  he  reached  the  outskirts 
of  the  wood. 

"  Look,"  said  he,  pausing. 

A  couple  of  steps  more  brought  me  out  of  the 
foliage. 

The  light  of  the  morning  lay  cold  and  clear  over 
that  well-known  scene.  The  pavilion  was  but  a 
blackened  wreck;  the  roof  had  fallen  in,  one  of 
the  gables  had  fallen  out;  and,  far  and  near,  the 
face  of  the  links  was  cicatrised  with  little  patches 
of  burnt  furze.  Thick  smoke  still  went  straight 
UDwards  in  the  windless  air  of  the  morning,  and 


312     NEW    ARABIAN    NIGHTS 

a  great  pile  of  ardent  cinders  filled  the  bare  walls 
of  the  house,  like  coals  in  an  open  grate.  Close 
by  the  islet  a  schooner  yacht  lay  to,  and  a  well- 
manned  boat  was  pulling  vigorously  for  the  shore. 

"The  Red  Earl!"  I  cried.  "  The  Red  Earl 
twelve  hours  too  late !  " 

"  Feel  in  your  pocket,  Frank.  Are  you  armed  ?  " 
asked  Northmour. 

I  obeyed  him,  and  I  think  I  must  have  be 
come  deadly  pale.  My  revolver  had  been  taken 
from  me. 

"  You  see  I  have  you  in  my  power,"  he  con 
tinued.  "  I  disarmed  you  last  night  while  you 
were  nursing  Clara ;  but  this  morning  —  here  — 
take  your  pistol.  No  thanks!"  he  cried,  holding 
up  his  hand.  "  I  do  not  like  them ;  that  is  the 
only  way  you  can  annoy  me  now/' 

He  began  to  walk  forward  across  the  links  to 
meet  the  boat,  and  I  followed  a  step  or  two  be 
hind.  In  front  of  the  pavilion  I  paused  to  see 
where  Mr.  Huddlestone  had  fallen ;  but  there  was 
no  sign  of  him,  nor  so  much  as  a  trace  of  blood. 

"  Graden  Floe,"  said  Northmour. 

He  continued  to  advance  till  we  had  come  to  the 
head  of  the  beach. 

"  No  farther,  please,"  said  he.  "  Would  you  like 
to  take  her  to  Graden  House?  " 

"  Thank  you,"  replied  I;  "  I  shall  try  to  get  her 
to  the  minister's  at  Graden  Wester." 

The  prow  of  the  boat  here  grated  on  the  beach, 
and  a  sailor  jumped  ashore  with  a  line  in  his  hand. 

"  Wait  a  minute,  lads!  "  cried  Northmour;   and 


NEW    ARABIAN    NIGHTS     313 

then  lower  and  to  my  private  ear :  "  You  had  better 
say  nothing  of  all  this  to  her,"  he  added. 

"  On  the  contrary !  "  I  broke  out,  "  she  shall 
know  everything  that  I  can  tell." 

"  You  do  not  understand,"  he  returned,  with  an 
air  of  great  dignity.  "  It  will  be  nothing  to  her ; 
she  expects  it  of  me.  Good-bye!  "  he  added,  with 
a  nod. 

I  offered  him  my  hand. 

"  Excuse  me,"  said  he.  "  It 's  small,  I  know ; 
but  I  can't  push  things  quite  so  far  as  that.  I 
don't  wish  any  sentimental  business,  to  sit  by  your 
hearth  a  white-haired  wanderer,  and  all  that.  Quite 
the  contrary:  I  hope  to  God  I  shall  never  again 
clap  eyes  on  either  one  of  you." 

"  Well,  God  bless  you,  Northmour ! "  I  said 
heartily. 

"  Oh,  yes,"  he  returned. 

He  walked  down  the  beach;  and  the  man  who 
was  ashore  gave  him  an  arm  on  board,  and  then 
shoved  off  and  leaped  into  the  bows  himself. 
Northmour  took  the  tiller;  the  boat  rose  to  the 
waves,  and  the  oars  between  the  thole-pins  sounded 
crisp  and  measured  in  the  air. 

They  were  not  yet  half-way  to  the  Red  Earl, 
and  I  was  still  watching  their  progress,  when  the 
sun  rose  out  of  the  sea. 

One  word  more,  and  my  story  is  done.  Years 
after,  Northmour  was  killed  righting  under  the 
colours  of  Garibaldi  for  the  liberation  of  Tyrol. 


A    LODGING    FOR   THE   NIGHT 

A   STORY  OF  FRANCIS   VILLON 


A    LODGING    FOR   THE    NIGHT 

IT  was  late  in  November,  1456.  The  snow  fell 
over  Paris  with  rigorous,  relentless  persist 
ence;  sometimes  the  wind  made  a  sally  and 
scattered  it  in  flying  vortices;  sometimes  there 
was  a  lull,  and  flake  after  flake  descended  out  of 
the  black  night  air,  silent,  circuitous,  interminable 
To  poor  people,  looking  up  under  moist  eyebrows, 
it  seemed  a  wonder  where  it  all  came  from.  Master 
Francis  Villon  had  propounded  an  alternative  that 
afternoon,  at  a  tavern  window :  was  it  only  Pagan 
Jupiter  plucking  geese  upon  Olympus  ?  or  were  the 
holy  angels  moulting  ?  He  was  only  a  poor  Master 
of  Arts,  he  went  on;  and  as  the  question  some 
what  touched  upon  divinity,  he  durst  not  venture 
to  conclude.  A  silly  old  priest  from  Montargis, 
who  was  among  the  company,  treated  the  young 
rascal  to  a  bottle  of  wine  in  honour  of  the  jest  and 
grimaces  with  which  it  was  accompanied,  and  swore 
on  his  own  white  beard  that  he  had  been  just  such 
another  irreverent  dog  when  he  was  Villon's  age. 

The  air  was  raw  and  pointed,  but  not  far  below 
freezing;  and  the  flakes  were  large,  damp,  and 
adhesive.  The  whole  city  was  sheeted  up.  An 
army  might  have  marched  from  end  to  end  and 
not  a  footfall  given  the  alarm.  If  there  were  any 
belated  birds  in  heaven,  they  saw  the  island  like  a 


3i8     NEW    ARABIAN    NIGHTS 

large  white  patch,  and  the  bridges  like  slim  white 
spars,  on  the  black  ground  of  the  river.  High  up 
overhead  the  snow  settled  among  the  tracery  of 
the  cathedral  towers.  Many  a  niche  was  drifted 
full;  many  a  statue  wore  a  long  white  bonnet  on 
its  grotesque  or  sainted  head.  The  gargoyles  had 
been  transformed  into  great  false  noses,  drooping 
towards  the  point.  The  crockets  were  like  upright 
pillows  swollen  on  one  side.  In  the  intervals  of 
the  wind,  there  was  a  dull  sound  of  dripping  about 
the  precincts  of  the  church. 

The  cemetery  of  St.  John  had  taken  its  own 
share  of  the  snow.  All  the  graves  were  decently 
covered ;  tall  white  housetops  stood  around  in  grave 
array ;  worthy  burghers  were  long  ago  in  bed,  be- 
nightcapped  like  their  domiciles ;  there  was  no  light 
in  all  the  neighbourhood  but  a  little  peep  from  a 
lamp  that  hung  swinging  in  the  church  choir,  and 
tossed  the  shadows  to  and  fro  in  time  to  its  oscil 
lations.  The  clock  was  hard  on  ten  when  the  patrol 
went  by  with  halberds  and  a  lantern,  beating  their 
hands;  and  they  saw  nothing  suspicious  about  the 
cemetery  of  St.  John. 

Yet  there  was  a  small  house,  backed  up  against 
the  cemetery  wall,  which  was  still  awake,  and  awake 
to  evil  purpose,  in  that  snoring  district.  There  was 
not  much  to  betray  it  from  without ;  only  a  stream  of 
warm  vapour  from  the  chimney-top,  a  patch  where 
the  snow  melted  on  the  roof,  and  a  few  half -obi  it 
erated  footprints  at  the  door.  But  within,  behind 
the  shuttered  windows,  Master  Francis  Villon  the 
poet,  and  some  of  the  thievish  crew  with  whom  he 


NEW    ARABIAN    NIGHTS     319 

consorted,  were  keeping  the  night  alive  and  pass 
ing  round  the  bottle. 

A  great  pile  of  living  embers  diffused  a  strong 
and  ruddy  glow  from  the  arched  chimney.  Before 
this  straddled  Dom  Nicolas,  the  Picardy  monk, 
with  his  skirts  picked  up  and  his  fat  legs  bared  to 
the  comfortable  warmth.  His  dilated  shadow  cut 
the  room  in  half;  and  the  firelight  only  escaped 
on  either  side  of  his  broad  person,  and  in  a  little 
pool  between  his  outspread  feet.  His  face  had 
the  beery,  bruised  appearance  of  the  continual 
drinker's;  it  was  covered  with  a  network  of  con 
gested  veins,  purple  in  ordinary  circumstances,  but 
now  pale  violet,  for  even  with  his  back  to  the  fire 
the  cold  pinched  him  on  the  other  side.  His  cowl 
had  half  fallen  back,  and  made  a  strange  excres 
cence  on  either  side  of  his  bull  neck.  So  he  strad 
dled,  grumbling,  and  cut  the  room  in  half  with  the 
shadow  of  his  portly  frame. 

On  the  right,  Villon  and  Guy  Tabary  were 
huddled  together  over  a  scrap  of  parchment; 
Villon  making  a  ballade  which  he  was  to  call  the 
"  Ballade  of  Roast  Fish,"  and  Tabary  spluttering 
admiration  at  his  shoulder.  The  poet  was  a  rag 
of  a  man,  dark,  little,  and  lean,  with  hollow  cheeks 
and  thin  black  locks.  He  carried  his  four-and- 
twenty  years  with  feverish  animation.  Greed  had 
made  folds  about  his  eyes,  evil  smiles  had  puckered 
his  mouth.  The  wolf  and  pig  struggled  together 
in  his  face.  It  was  an  eloquent,  sharp,  ugly,  earthly 
countenance.  His  hands  were  small  and  prehen 
sile,  with  fingers  knotted  like  a  cord;  and  they 


320     NEW    ARABIAN    NIGHTS 

were  continually  flickering  in  front  of  him  in  vio 
lent  and  expressive  pantomime.  As  for  Tabary, 
a  broad,  complacent,  admiring  imbecility  breathed 
from  his  squash  nose  and  slobbering  lips:  he  had 
become  a  thief,  just  as  he  might  have  become  the 
most  decent  of  burgesses,  by  the  imperious  chance 
that  rules  the  lives  of  human  geese  and  human 
donkeys. 

At  the  monk's  other  hand,  Montigny  and  The- 
venin  Pensete  played  a  game  of  chance.  About  the 
first  there  clung  some  flavour  of  good  birth  and 
training,  as  about  a  fallen  angel;  something  long, 
lithe,  and  courtly  in  the  person;  something  aqui 
line  and  darkling  in  the  face.  Thevenin,  poor  soul, 
was  in  great  feather:  he  had  done  a  good  stroke 
of  knavery  that  afternoon  in  the  Faubourg  St. 
Jacques,  and  all  night  he  had  been  gaining  from 
Montigny.  A  flat  smile  illuminated  his  face;  his 
bald  head  shone  rosily  in  a  garland  of  red  curls; 
his  little  protuberant  stomach  shook  with  silent 
chucklings  as  he  swept  in  his  gains. 

"  Doubles  or  quits  ?  "  said  Thevenin. 

Montigny  nodded  grimly. 

"  Some  may  prefer  to  dine  in  state"  wrote 
Villon,  "  On  bread  and  cfaese  on  silver  plate.  Or, 
or  —  help  me  out,  Guidol  " 

Tabary  giggled. 

"  Or  parsley  on  a  golden  dish''  scribbled  the 
poet. 

The  wind  was  freshening  without;  it  drove  the 
snow  before  it,  and  sometimes  raised  its  voice  iff 
a  victorious  whoop,  and  made  sepulchral  grunr 


NEW    ARABIAN    NIGHTS     321 

blings  in  the  chimney.  The  cold  was  growing 
sharper  as  the  night  went  on.  Villon,  protruding 
his  lips,  imitated  the  gust  with  something  between 
a  whistle  and  a  groan.  It  was  an  eerie,  uncom 
fortable  talent  of  the  poet's,  much  detested  by  the 
Picardy  monk. 

"Can't  you  hear  it  rattle  in  the  gibbet?"  said 
Villon.  "  They  are  all  dancing  the  devil's  jig  on 
nothing,  up  there.  You  may  dance,  my  gallants, 
you  '11  be  none  the  warmer !  Whew !  what  a  gust ! 
Down  went  somebody  just  now!  A  medlar  the 
fewer  on  the  three-legged  medlar-tree !  —  I  say, 
Dom  Nicolas,  it  '11  be  cold  to-night  on  the  St.  Denis 
Road  ?  "  he  asked. 

Dom  Nicolas  winked  both  his  big  eyes,  and 
seemed  to  choke  upon  his  Adam's  apple.  Mont- 
faucon,  the  great  grisly  Paris  gibbet,  stood  hard 
by  the  St.  Denis  Road,  and  the  pleasantry  touched 
him  on  the  raw.  As  for  Tabary,  he  laughed  im 
moderately  over  the  medlars;  he  had  never  heard 
anything  more  light-hearted ;  and  he  held  his  sides 
and  crowed.  Villon  fetched  him  a  fillip  on  the 
nose,  which  turned  his  mirth  into  an  attack  of 
coughing. 

"  Oh,  stop  that  row,"  said  Villon,  "  and  think 
of  rhymes  to  '  fish/  " 

"  Doubles  or  quits,"  said  Montigny  doggedly. 

"  With  all  my  heart,"  quoth  Thevenin. 

"  Is  there  any  more  in  that  bottle  ?  "  asked  the 
anonk. 

"  Open  another,"  said  Villon.  "  How  do  you 
ever  hope  to  fill  that  big  hogshead,  your  body, 

VOL.    III.  —  21 


322     NEW    ARABIAN    NIGHTS 

with  little  things  like  bottles?  And  how  do  you 
expect  to  get  to  heaven?  How  many  angels,  do 
you  fancy,  can  be  spared  to  carry  up  a  single 
monk  from  Picardy?  Or  do  you  think  yourself 
another  Elias  —  and  they  '11  send  the  coach  for 
you?" 

"  Hominibus  impossibile,"  replied  the  monk  as 
he  filled  his  glass. 

Tabary  was  in  ecstasies. 

Villon  filliped  his  nose  again. 

"  Laugh  at  my  jokes,  if  you  like,"  he  said. 

"  It  was  very  good,"  objected  Tabary. 

Villon  made  a  face  at  him.  "  Think  of  rhymes 
to  '  fish/  "  he  said.  "  What  have  you  to  do  with 
Latin  ?  You  '11  wish  you  knew  none  of  it  at  the 
great  assizes,  when  the  devil  calls  for  Guido 
Tabary,  clericus  —  the  devil  with  the  hump-back 
and  red-hot  finger-nails.  Talking  of  the  devil," 
he  added  in  a  whisper,  "  look  at  Montigny!  " 

All  three  peered  covertly  at  the  gamester.  He 
did  not  seem  to  be  enjoying  his  luck.  His  mouth 
was  a  little  to  a  side;  one  nostril  nearly  shut,  and 
the  other  much  inflated.  The  black  dog  was  on 
his  back,  as  people  say,  in  terrifying  nursery  meta 
phor;  and  he  breathed  hard  under  the  gruesome 
burthen. 

"  He  looks  as  if  he  could  knife  him,"  whispered 
Tabary,  with  round  eyes. 

The  monk  shuddered,  and  turned  his  face  and 
spread  his  open  hands  to  the  red  embers.  It  was 
the  cold  that  thus  affected  Dom  Nicolas,  and  not 
any  excess  of  moral  sensibility. 


NEW    ARABIAN    NIGHTS     323 

"  Come  now,"  said  Villon  —  "  about  this  bal 
lade.  How  does  it  run  so  far?"  And  beating 
time  with  his  hand,  he  read  it  aloud  to  Tabary* 

They  were  interrupted  at  the  fourth  rhyme  by 
a  brief  and  fatal  movement  among  the  gamesters. 
The  round  was  completed,  and  Thevenin  was  just 
opening  his  mouth  to  claim  another  victory,  when 
Montigny  leaped  up,  swift  as  an  adder,  and  stabbed 
him  to  the  heart.  The  blow  took  effect  before  he 
had  time  to  utter  a  cry,  before  he  had  time  to 
move.  A  tremor  or  two  convulsed  his  frame;  his 
hands  opened  and  shut,  his  heels  rattled  on  the 
floor;  then  his  head  rolled  backward  over  one 
shoulder  with  the  eyes  wide  open;  and  Thevenin 
Pensete's  spirit  had  returned  to  Him  who  made  it. 

Every  one  sprang  to  his  feet;  but  the  business 
was  over  in  two  twos.  The  four  living  fellows 
looked  at  each  other  in  rather  a  ghastly  fashion; 
the  dead  man  contemplating  a  corner  of  the  roof 
with  a  singular  and  ugly  leer. 

"  My  God !  "  said  Tabary ;  and  he  began  to  pray 
in  Latin. 

Villon  broke  out  into  hysterical  laughter.  He 
came  a  step  forward  and  ducked  a  ridiculous  bow 
at  Thevenin,  and  laughed  still  louder.  Then  he 
sat  down  suddenly,  all  of  a  heap,  upon  a  stool, 
and  continued  laughing  bitterly,  as  though  he 
would  shake  himself  to  pieces. 

Montigny  recovered  his  composure  first. 

"  Let 's  see  what  he  has  about  him,"  he  re 
marked,  and  he  picked  the  dead  man's  pockets  with 
a  practised  hand,  and  divided  the  money  into  four 


324     NEW    ARABIAN    NIGHTS 

equal  portions  on  the  table.  "  There  's  for  you," 
he  said. 

The  monk  received  his  share  with  a  deep  sigh, 
and  a  single  stealthy  glance  at  the  dead  Thevenin, 
who  was  beginning  to  sink  into  himself  and  topple 
sideways  off  the  chair. 

"  We  're  all  in  for  it,"  cried  Villon,  swallowing 
his  mirth.  "  It 's  a  hanging  job  for  every  man 
jack  of  us  that 's  here  —  not  to  speak  of  those  who 
aren't."  He  made  a  shocking  gesture  in  the  air 
with  his  raised  right  hand,  and  put  out  his  tongue 
and  threw  his  head  on  one  side,  so  as  to  counter 
feit  the  appearance  of  one  who  has  been  hanged. 
Then  he  pocketed  his  share  of  the  spoil,  and  exe-' 
cuted  a  shuffle  with  his  feet  as  if  to  restore  th« 
circulation. 

Tabary  was  the  last  to  help  himself;  he  made 
a  dash  at  the  money,  and  retired  to  the  other  end 
of  the  apartment. 

Montigny  stuck  Thevenin  upright  in  the  chair, 
and  drew  out  the  dagger,  which  was  followed  by 
a  jet  of  blood. 

'  Vou  fellows  had  better  be  moving,"  he  said,  as 
he  wiped  the  blade  on  his  victim's  doublet. 

"  I  think  we  had,"  returned  Villon,  with  a  gulp-. 
"  Damn  his  fat  head !  "  he  broke  out.  "  It  sticks 
in  my  throat  like  phlegm.  What  right  has  a  man 
to  have  red  hair  when  he  is  dead  ?  "  And  he  fell 
all  of  a  heap  again  upon  the  stool,  and  fairly  cov 
ered  his  face  with  his  hands. 

Montigny  and  Dom  Nicolas  laughed  aloud,  even 
Tabary  feebly  chiming  in. 


NEW    ARABIAN    NIGHTS     325 

"  Cry  baby,"  said  the  monk. 

"  I  always  said  he  was  a  woman/'  added  Mon 
tigny,  with  a  sneer.  "  Sit  up,  can't  you  ?  "  he  went 
on,  giving  another  shake  to  the  murdered  body. 
"  Tread  out  that  fire,  Nick!  " 

But  Nick  was  better  employed;  he  was  quietly 
taking  Villon's  purse,  as  the  poet  sat,  limp  and 
trembling,  on  the  stool  where  he  had  been  making 
a  ballade  not  three  minutes  before.  Montigny  and 
Tabary  dumbly  demanded  a  share  of  the  booty, 
which  the  monk  silently  promised  as  he  passed  the 
little  bag  into  the  bosom  of  his  gown.  In  many 
ways  an  artistic  nature  unfits  a  man  for  practical 
existence. 

No  sooner  had  the  theft  been  accomplished 
than  Villon  shook  himself,  jumped  to  his  feet,  and 
began  helping  to  scatter  and  extinguish  the  em 
bers.  Meanwhile  Montigny  opened  the  door  and 
cautiously  peered  into  the  street.  The  coast  was 
clear;  there  was  no  meddlesome  patrol  in  sight. 
Still  it  was  judged  wiser  to  slip  out  severally;  and 
as  Villon  was  himself  in  a  hurry  to  escape  from 
the  neighbourhood  of  the  dead  Thevenin,  and  the 
rest  were  in  a  still  greater  hurry  to  get  rid  of  him 
before  he  should  discover  the  loss  of  his  money, 
he  was  the  first  by  general  consent  to  issue  forth 
into  the  street. 

The  wind  had  triumphed  and  swept  all  the  clouds 
from  heaven.  Only  a  few  vapours,  as  thin  as 
moonlight,  fleeted  rapidly  across  the  stars.  It  was 
bitter  cold ;  and  by  a  common  optical  effect,  things 
seemed  almost  more  definite  than  in  the  broadest 


NEW    ARABIAN    NIGHTS 

daylight.  The  sleeping  city  was  absolutely  still; 
a  company  of  white  hoods,  a  field  full  of  little  alps, 
below  the  twinkling  stars.  Villon  cursed  his  for 
tune.  Would  it  were  still  snowing!  Now,  wher 
ever  he  went,  he  left  an  indelible  trail  behind  him 
on  the  glittering  streets ;  wherever  he  went  he  was 
still  tethered  to  the  house  by  the  cemetery  of  St. 
John;  wherever  he  went  he  must  weave,  with  his 
own  plodding  feet,  the  rope  that  bound  him  to  the 
crime  and  would  bind  him  to  the  gallows.  The 
leer  of  the  dead  man  came  back  to  him  with  a  new 
significance.  He  snapped  his  fingers  as  if  to  pluck 
up  his  own  spirits,  and  choosing  a  street  at  random, 
stepped  boldly  forward  in  the  snow. 

Two  things  preoccupied  him  as  he  went:  the 
aspect  of  the  gallows  at  Montfaucon  in  this  bright, 
windy  phase  of  the  night's  existence,  for  one ;  and 
for  another,  the  look  of  the  dead  man  with  his  bald 
head  and  garland  of  red  curls.  Both  struck  cold 
upon  his  heart,  and  he  kept  quickening  his  pace 
as  if  he  could  escape  from  unpleasant  thoughts  by 
mere  fleetness  of  foot.  Sometimes  he  looked  back 
over  his  shoulder  with  a  sudden  nervous  jerk;  but 
he  was  the  only  moving  thing  in  the  white  streets, 
except  when  the  wind  swooped  round  a  corner  and 
threw  up  the  snow,  which  was  beginning  to  freeze, 
in  spouts  of  glittering  dust. 

Suddenly  he  saw,  a  long  way  before  him,  a  black 
clump  and  a  couple  of  lanterns.  The  clump  was  in 
motion,  and  the  lanterns  swung  as  though  carried 
by  men  walking.  It  was  a  patrol.  And  though  it 
was  merely  crossing  his  line  of  march  he  judged 


NEW    ARABIAN    NIGHTS     327 

it  wiser  to  get  out  of  eyeshot  as  speedily  as  he 
could.  He  was  not  in  the  humour  to  be  chal 
lenged,  and  he  was  conscious  of  making  a  very 
conspicuous  mark  upon  the  snow.  Ju^t  on  his  left 
hand  there  stood  a  great  hotel,  with  some  turrets 
and  a  large  porch  before  the  door;  it  was  half 
ruinous,  he  remembered,  and  had  long  stood  empty ; 
and  so  he  made  three  steps  of  it,  and  jumped  into 
the  shelter  of  the  porch.  It  was  pretty  dark  inside, 
after  the  glimmer  of  the  snowy  streets,  and  he  was 
groping  forward  with  outspread  hands,  when  he 
stumbled  over  some  substance  which  offered  an 
indescribable  mixture  of  resistances,  hard  and  soft, 
firm  and  loose.  His  heart  gave  a  leap,  and  he 
sprang  two  steps  back  and  stared  dreadfully  at  the 
obstacle.  Then  he  gave  a  little  laugh  of  relief.  It 
was  only  a  woman,  and  she  dead.  He  knelt  beside 
her  to  make  sure  upon  this  latter  point.  She  was 
freezing  cold,  and  rigid  like  a  stick.  A  little  ragged 
finery  fluttered  in  the  wind  about  her  hair,  and  her 
cheeks  had  been  heavily  rouged  that  same  after 
noon.  Her  pockets  were  quite  empty;  but  in  her 
stocking,  underneath  the  garter,  Villon  found  two 
of  the  small  coins  that  went  by  the  name  of  whites. 
It  was  little  enough ;  but  it  was  always  something ; 
and  the  poet  was  moved  with  a  deep  sense  of  pathos 
that  she  should  have  died  before  she  had  spent  her 
money.  That  seemed  to  him  a  dark  and  pitiable 
mystery ;  and  he  looked  from  the  coins  in  his  hand 
to  the  dead  woman,  and  back  again  to  the  coins, 
shaking  his  head  over  the  riddle  of  man's  life. 
Henry  V.  of  England,  dying  at  Vincennes  just 


328     NEW    ARABIAN    NIGHTS 

after  he  had  conquered  France,  and  this  poor  jade 
cut  off  by  a  cold  draught  in  a  great  man's  door 
way,  before  she  had  time  to  spend  her  couple  of 
whites  —  it  seemed  a  cruel  way  to  carry  on  the 
world.  Two  whites  would  have  taken  such  a  little 
while  to  squander;  and  yet  it  would  have  been 
one  more  good  taste  in  the  mouth,  one  more  smack 
of  the  lips,  before  the  devil  got  the  soul,  and  the 
body  was  left  to  birds  and  vermin.  He  would  like 
to  use  all  his  tallow  before  the  light  was  blown 
out  and  the  lantern  broken. 

While  these  thoughts  were  passing  through  his 
mind,  he  was  feeling,  half  mechanically,  for  his 
purse.  Suddenly  his  heart  stopped  beating ;  a  feel 
ing  of  cold  scales  passed  up  the  back  of  his  legs, 
and  a  cold  blow  seemed  to  fall  upon  his  scalp.  He 
stood  petrified  for  a  moment;  then  he  felt  again 
with  one  feverish  movement;  and  then  his  loss 
burst  upon  him,  and  he  was  covered  at  once  with 
perspiration.  To  spendthrifts  money  is  so  living 
and  actual  —  it  is  such  a  thin  veil  between  them 
and  their  pleasures!  There  is  only  one  limit  to 
their  fortune  —  that  of  time ;  and  a  spendthrift 
with  only  a  few  crowns  is  the  Emperor  of  Rome 
until  they  are  spent.  For  such  a  person  to  lose  his 
money  is  to  suffer  the  most  shocking  reverse,  and 
fall  from  heaven  to  hell,  from  all  to  nothing,  in  a 
breath.  And  all  the  more  if  he  has  put  his  head 
in  the  halter  for  it;  if  he  may  be  hanged  to-mor 
row  for  that  same  purse,  so  dearly  earned,  so  fool 
ishly  departed !  Villon  stood  and  cursed ;  he  threw 
the  two  whites  into  the  street ;  he  shook  his  fist  at 


NEW    ARABIAN    NIGHTS     329 

heaven ;  he  stamped,  and  was  not  horrified  to  find 
himself  trampling  the  poor  corpse.  Then  he  began 
rapidly  to  retrace  his  steps  towards  the  house  be 
side  the  cemetery.  He  had  forgotten  all  fear  of 
the  patrol,  which  was  long  gone  by  at  any  rate, 
and  had  no  idea  but  that  of  his  lost  purse.  It  was 
in  vain  that  he  looked  right  and  left  upon  the  snow : 
nothing  was  to  be  seen.  He  had  not  dropped  it 
in  the  streets.  Had  it  fallen  in  the  house?  He 
would  have  liked  dearly  to  go  in  and  see;  but  the 
idea  of  the  grisly  occupant  unmanned  him.  And 
he  saw  besides,  as  he  drew  near,  that  their  efforts 
to  put  out  the  fire  had  been  unsuccessful;  on  the 
contrary,  it  had  broken  into  a  blaze,  and  a  change 
ful  light  played  in  the  chinks  of  door  and  window, 
and  revived  his  terror  for  the  authorities  and  Paris 
gibbet. 

He  returned  to  the  hotel  with  the  porch,  and 
groped  about  upon  the  snow  for  the  money  he  had 
thrown  away  in  his  childish  passion.  But  he  could 
only  find  one  white ;  the  other  had  probably  struck 
sideways  and  sunk  deeply  in.  With  a  single  white 
in  his  pocket,  all  his  projects  for  a  rousing  night  in 
some  wild  tavern  vanished  utterly  away.  And  it 
was  not  only  pleasure  that  fled  laughing  from  his 
grasp;  positive  discomfort,  positive  pain,  attacked 
him  as  he  stood  ruefully  before  the  porch.  His 
perspiration  had  dried  upon  him ;  and  although  the 
wind  had  now  fallen,  a  binding  frost  was  setting 
in  stronger  with  every  hour,  and  he  felt  benumbed 
and  sick  at  heart.  What  was  to  be  done  ?  Late  as 
was  the  hour,  improbable  as  was  success,  he  would 


NEW    ARABIAN    NIGHTS 

try  the  house  of  his  adopted  father,  the  chaplain 
of  St.  Benoit. 

He  ran  there  all  the  way,  and  knocked  timidly. 
There  was  no  answer.  He  knocked  again  and 
again,  taking  heart  with  every  stroke;  and  at  last 
steps  were  heard  approaching  from  within.  A 
barred  wicket  fell  open  in  the  iron-studded  door, 
and  emitted  a  gush  of  yellow  light. 

"  Hold  up  your  face  to  the  wicket,"  said  the 
chaplain  from  within. 

"  It 's  only  me,"  whimpered  Villon. 

"  Oh,  it 's  only  you,  is  it?  "  returned  the  chap 
lain  ;  and  he  cursed  him  with  foul  unpriestly  oaths 
for  disturbing  him  at  such  an  hour,  and  bade  him 
be  off  to  hell,  where  he  came  from. 

"  My  hands  are  blue  to  the  wrist,"  pleaded 
Villon ;  "  my  feet  are  dead  and  full  of  twinges ; 
my  nose  aches  with  the  sharp  air;  the  cold  lies  at 
my  heart.  I  may  be  dead  before  morning.  Only 
this  once,  father,  and  before  God,  I  will  never  ask 
again ! " 

'  You  should  have  come  earlier,"  said  the  eccle 
siastic  coolly.  '  Young  men  require  a  lesson  now 
and  then."  He  shut  the  wicket  and  retired  delib 
erately  into  the  interior  of  the  house. 

Villon  was  beside  himself;  he  beat  upon  the 
door  with  his  hands  and  feet,  and  shouted  hoarsely 
after  the  chaplain. 

"Wormy  old  fox!"  he  cried.  "If  I  had  my 
hand  under  your  twist,  I  would  send  you  flying 
headlong  into  the  bottomless  pit." 

A  door  shut  in  the  interior,  faintly  audible  to  the 


NEW   ARABIAN    NIGHTS    331 

poet  down  long  passages.  He  passed  his  hand  over 
his  mouth  with  an  oath.  And  then  the  humour  of 
the  situation  struck  him,  and  he  laughed  and  looked 
tightly  up  to  heaven,  where  the  stars  seemed  to  be 
winking  over  his  discomfiture. 

What  was  to  be  done?  It  looked  very  like  a 
night  in  the  frosty  streets.  The  idea  of  the  dead 
woman  popped  into  his  imagination,  and  gave  him 
a  hearty  fright;  what  had  happened  to  her  in  the 
early  night  might  very  well  happen  to  him  before 
morning.  And  he  so  young!  and  with  such  im 
mense  possibilities  of  disorderly  amusement  before 
nim !  He  felt  quite  pathetic  over  the  notion  of  his 
own  fate,  as  if  it  had  been  some  one  else's,  and 
made  a  little  imaginative  vignette  of  the  scene  in 
the  morning  when  they  should  find  his  body. 

He  passed  all  his  chances  under  review,  turning 
the  white  between  his  thumb  and  forefinger.  Un 
fortunately  he  was  on  bad  terms  with  some  old 
friends  who  would  once  have  taken  pity  on  him  in 
such  a  plight.  He  had  lampooned  them  in  verses ; 
he  had  beaten  and  cheated  them;  and  yet  now, 
when  he  was  in  so  close  a  pinch,  he  thought  there 
was  at  least  one  who  might  perhaps  relent.  It  was 
a  chance.  It  was  worth  trying  at  least,  and  he 
would  go  and  see. 

On  the  way,  two  little  accidents  happened  to  him 
which  coloured  his  musings  in  a  very  different 
manner.  For,  first,  he  fell  in  with  the  track  of  a 
patrol,  and  walked  in  it  for  some  hundred  yards, 
although  it  lay  out  of  his  direction.  And  this 
soirited  him  up ;  at  least  he  had  confused  his  trail ; 


332     NEW    ARABIAN    NIGHTS 

for  he  was  still  possessed  with  the  idea  of  people 
tracking  him  all  about  Paris  over  the  snow,  and 
collaring  him  next  morning  before  he  was  awake. 
The  other  matter  affected  him  quite  differently. 
He  passed  a  street  corner,  where,  not  so  long  be 
fore,  a  woman  and  her  child  had  been  devoured 
by  wolves.  This  was  just  the  kind  of  weather, 
he  reflected,  when  wolves  might  take  it  into  their 
heads  to  enter  Paris  again;  and  a  lone  man  in 
these  deserted  streets  would  run  the  chance  of 
something  \vorse  than  a  mere  scare.  He  stopped 
and  looked  upon  the  place  with  an  unpleasant  in 
terest  —  it  was  a  centre  where  several  lanes  inter 
sected  each  other;  and  he  looked  down  them  all, 
one  after  another,  and  held  his  breath  to  listen, 
lest  he  should  detect  some  galloping  black  things 
on  the  snow  or  hear  the  sound  of  howling  between 
him  and  the  river.  He  remembered  his  mother 
telling  him  the  story  and  pointing  out  the  spot, 
while  he  was  yet  a  child.  His  mother!  If  he 
only  knew  where  she  lived,  he  might  make  sure 
at  least  of  shelter.  He  determined  he  would  in 
quire  upon  the  morrow;  nay,  he  would  go  and 
see  her  too,  poor  old  girl!  So  thinking,  he  ar 
rived  at  his  destination  —  his  last  hope  for  the 
night. 

The  house  was  quite  dark,  like  its  neighbours; 
and  yet  after  a  few  taps,  he  heard  a  movement 
overhead,  a  door  opening,  and  a  cautious  voice 
asking  who  was  there.  The  poet  named  himself 
in  a  loud  whisper,  and  waited,  not  without  some 
trepidation,  the  result.  Nor  had  he  to  wait  long. 


NEW    ARABIAN    NIGHTS    333 

A  "window  was  suddenly  opened,  and  a  pailful  of 
slops  splashed  down  upon  the  doorstep.  Villon 
had  not  been  unprepared  for  something  of  the 
sort,  and  had  put  himself  as  much  in  shelter  as 
the  nature  of  the  porch  admitted;  but  for  all 
that,  he  was  deplorably  drenched  below  the  waist. 
His  hose  began  to  freeze  almost  at  once.  Death 
from  cold  and  exposure  stared  him  in  the  face; 
he  remembered  he  was  of  phthisical  tendency,  and 
began  coughing  tentatively.  But  the  gravity  of 
the  danger  steadied  his  nerves.  He  stopped  a  few 
hundred  yards  from  the  door  where  he  had  been 
so  rudely  used,  and  reflected  with  his  finger  to  his 
nose.  He  could  only  see  one  way  of  getting  a 
lodging,  and  that  was  to  take  it.  He  had  noticed 
a  house  not  far  away,  which  looked  as  if  it  might 
be  easily  broken  into,  and  thither  he  betook  him 
self  promptly,  entertaining  himself  on  the  way  with 
the  idea  of  a  room  still  hot,  with  a  table  still  loaded 
with  the  remains  of  supper,  where  he  might  pass 
the  rest  of  the  black  hours  and  whence  he  should 
issue,  on  the  morrow,  with  an  armful  of  valuable 
plate.  He  even  considered  on  what  viands  and 
what  wines  he  should  prefer;  and  as  he  was  call 
ing  the  roll  of  his  favourite  dainties,  roast  fish 
presented  itself  to  his  mind  with  an  odd  mixture 
of  amusement  and  horror. 

"  I  shall  never  finish  that  ballade,"  he  thought 
to  himself;  and  then,  with  another  shudder  at  the 
recollection,  "  Oh,  damn  his  fat  head !  "  he  repeated 
fervently,  and  spat  upon  the  snow. 

The  house  in  question  looked  dark  at  first  sight ; 


334     NEW    ARABIAN    NIGHTS 

but  as  Villon  made  a  preliminary  inspection  in 
search  of  the  handiest  point  of  attack,  a  little 
twinkle  of  light  caught  his  eye  from  behind  a 
curtained  window. 

"The  devil!"  he  thought.  "People  awake! 
Some  student  or  some  saint,  confound  the  crew! 
Can't  they  get  drunk  and  lie  in  bed  snoring  like 
their  neighbours  ?  What 's  the  good  of  curfew, 
and  poor  devils  of  bell-ringers  jumping  at  a  rope's 
end  in  bell-towers  ?  What 's  the  use  of  day,  if 
people  sit  up  all  night  ?  The  gripes  to  them !  " 
He  grinned  as  he  saw  where  his  logic  was  lead 
ing  him.  "  Every  man  to  his  business,  after  all," 
added  he,  "  and  if  they  're  awake,  by  the  Lord, 
I  may  come  by  a  supper  honestly  for  once,  and 
cheat  the  devil." 

He  went  boldly  to  the  door  and  knocked  with 
an  assured  hand.  On  both  previous  occasions, 
he  had  knocked  timidly  and  with  some  dread  of 
attracting  notice;  but  now  when  he  had  just  dis 
carded  the  thought  of  a  burglarious  entry,  knock 
ing  at  a  door  seemed  a  mighty  simple  and  innocent 
proceeding.  The  sound  of  his  blows  echoed  through 
the  house  with  thin,  phantasmal  reverberations,  as 
though  it  were  quite  empty ;  but  these  had  scarcely 
died  away  before  a  measured  tread  drew  near,  a 
couple  of  bolts  were  withdrawn,  and  one  wing  was 
opened  broadly,  as  though  no  guile  or  fear  of  guile 
were  known  to  those  within.  A  tall  figure  of  a 
man,  muscular  and  spare,  but  a  little  bent,  con 
fronted  Villon.  The  head  was  massive  in  bulk, 
but  finely  sculptured;  the  nose  blunt  at  the  bot- 


NEW    ARABIAN    NIGHTS     335 

torn,  but  refining  upward  to  where  it  joined  a  pair 
of  strong  and  honest  eyebrows ;  the  mouth  and  eyes 
surrounded  with  delicate  markings,  and  the  whole 
face  based  upon  a  thick  white  beard,  boldly  and 
squarely  trimmed.  Seen  as  it  was  by  the  light  of 
a  flickering  hand-lamp,  it  looked  perhaps  nobler 
than  it  had  a  right  to  do;  but  it  was  a  fine  face, 
honourable  rather  than  intelligent,  strong,  simple, 
and  righteous. 

"  You  knock  late,  sir,"  said  the  old  man  in 
resonant,  courteous  tones. 

Villon  cringed  and  brought  up  many  servile 
words  of  apology;  at  a  crisis  of  this  sort  the 
beggar  was  uppermost  in  him,  and  the  man  of 
genius  hid  his  head  with  confusion. 

11  You  are  cold,"  repeated  the  old  man,  "  and 
hungry?  Well,  step  in."  And  he  ordered  him 
into  the  house  with  a  noble  enough  gesture. 

"  Some  great  seigneur,"  thought  Villon,  as  his 
host,  setting  down  the  lamp  on  the  flagged  pave 
ment  of  the  entry,  shot  the  bolts  once  more  into 
their  places. 

"  You  will  pardon  me  if  I  go  in  front,"  he  said, 
when  this  was  done;  and  he  preceded  the  poet 
up-stairs  into  a  large  apartment,  warmed  with  a 
pan  of  charcoal  and  lit  by  a  great  lamp  hanging 
from  the  roof.  It  was  very  bare  of  furniture: 
only  some  gold  plate  on  a  sideboard ;  some  folios ; 
and  a  stand  of  armour  between  the  windows. 
Some  smart  tapestry  hung  upon  the  walls,  repre 
senting  the  crucifixion  of  our  Lord  in  one  piece, 
and  in  another  a  scene  of  shepherds  and  shepherd-' 


336     NEW    ARABIAN    NIGHTS 

esses  by  a  running  stream.  Over  the  chimney  was 
a  shield  of  arms. 

"  Will  you  seat  yourself,"  said  the  old  man, 
"  and  forgive  me  if  I  leave  you  ?  I  am  alone  in 
my  house  to-night,  and  if  you  are  to  eat  I  must 
forage  for  you  myself." 

No  sooner  was  his  host  gone  than  Villon  leaped 
from  the  chair  on  which  he  had  just  seated  himself, 
and  began  examining  the  room,  with  the  stealth 
and  passion  of  a  cat.  He  weighed  the  gold  flagons 
in  his  hand,  opened  all  the  folios,  and  investigated 
the  arms  upon  the  shield,  and  the  stuff  with  which 
the  seats  were  lined.  He  raised  the  window  cur 
tains,  and  saw  that  the  windows  were  set  with  rich 
stained  glass  in  figures,  so  far  as  he  could  see,  of 
martial  import.  Then  he  stood  in  the  middle  of 
the  room,  drew  a  long  breath,  and  retaining  it 
with  puffed  cheeks,  looked  round  and  round  him, 
turning  on  his  heels,  as  if  to  impress  every  feature 
of  the  apartment  on  his  memory. 

"  Seven  pieces  of  plate,"  he  said.  "  If  there  had 
been  ten,  I  would  have  risked  it.  A  fine  house,  and 
a  fine  old  master,  so  help  me  all  the  saints ! " 

And  just  then,  hearing  the  old  man's  tread  re 
turning  along  the  corridor,  he  stole  back  to  his 
chair,  and  began  humbly  toasting  his  wet  legs  be 
fore  the  charcoal  pan. 

His  entertainer  had  a  plate  of  meat  in  one  hand 
and  a  jug  of  wine  in  the  other.  He  set  down  the 
plate  upon  the  table,  motioning  Villon  to  draw  in 
his  chair,  and  going  to  the  sideboard,  brought  back 
two  goblets  which  he  filled. 


NEW   ARABIAN    NIGHTS     337 

"  I  drink  your  better  fortune/'  he  said,  gravely 
touching  Villon's  cup  with  his  own. 

"  To  our  better  acquaintance,"  said  the  poet, 
growing  bold.  A  mere  man  of  the  people  would 
have  been  awed  by  the  courtesy  of  the  old 
seigneur,  but  Villon  was  hardened  in  that  matter; 
he  had  made  mirth  for  great  lords  before  now, 
and  found  them  as  black  rascals  as  himself.  And 
so  he  devoted  himself  to  the  viands  with  a  rave 
nous  gusto,  while  the  old  man,  leaning  backward, 
watched  him  with  steady,  curious  eyes. 

"  You  have  blood  on  your  shoulder,  my  man," 
he  said. 

Montigny  must  have  laid  his  wet  right  hand 
upon  him  as  he  left  the  house.  He  cursed  Mon- 
tigny  in  his  heart. 

"  It  was  none  of  my  shedding,"  he  stammered. 

"  I  had  not  supposed  so,"  returned  his  host 
quietly.  "A  brawl?" 

"  Well,  something  of  that  sort/'  Villon  admitted 
with  a  quaver. 

"  Perhaps  a  fellow  murdered  ?  " 

"  Oh,  no,  not  murdered,"  said  the  poet,  more 
and  more  confused.  "  It  was  all  fair  play  —  mur 
dered  by  accident.  I  had  no  hand  in  it,  God  strike 
me  dead !  "  he  added  fervently. 

"  One  rogue  the  fewer,  I  dare  say,"  observed  the 
master  of  the  house. 

"  You  may  dare  to  say  that,"  agreed  Villon, 
infinitely  relieved.  "  As  big  a  rogue  as  there  is 
between  here  and  Jerusalem.  He  turned  up  his 
toes  like  a  lamb.  But  it  was  a  nasty  thing  to  look 

VOL.    III.  —  22 


338     NEW    ARABIAN    NIGHTS 

at.  I  dare  say  you  Ve  seen  dead  men  in  your  time, 
my  lord  ?  "  he  added,  glancing  at  the  armour. 

"  Many,"  said  the  old  man.  "  I  have  followed 
the  wars,  as  you  imagine." 

Villon  laid  down  his  knife  and  fork,  which  he 
had  just  taken  up  again. 

"  Were  any  of  them  bald  ?  "  he  asked. 

"  Oh,  yes,  and  with  hair  as  white  as  mine." 

"  I  don't  think  I  should  mind  the  white  so 
much,"  said  Villon.  "  His  was  red."  And  he 
had  a  return  of  his  shuddering  and  tendency  to 
laughter,  which  he  drowned  with  a  great  draught 
of  wine.  "  I  'm  a  little  put  out  when  I  think  of 
it,"  he  went  on.  "  I  knew  him  —  damn  him ! 
And  then  the  cold  gives  a  man  fancies  —  or  the 
fancies  give  a  man  cold,  I  don't  know  which." 

"  Have  you  any  money  ?  "  asked  the  old  man. 

"  I  have  one  white,"  returned  the  poet,  laugh 
ing.  "  I  got  it  out  of  a  dead  jade's  stocking  in  a 
porch.  She  was  as  dead  as  Caesar,  poor  wench, 
and  as  cold  as  a  church,  with  bits  of  ribbon  stick 
ing  in  her  hair.  This  is  a  hard  world  in  winter 
for  wolves  and  wenches  and  poor  rogues  like  me." 

"  I,"  said  the  old  man,  "  am  Enguerrand  de  la 
Feuillee,  seigneur  de  Brisetout,  bailly  du  Patatrac. 
Who  and  what  may  you  be  ?  " 

Villon  rose  and  made  a  suitable  reverence.  "  I 
am  called  Francis  Villon,"  he  said,  "  a  poor  Master 
of  Arts  of  this  university.  I  know  some  Latin, 
and  a  deal  of  vice.  I  can  make  chansons,  ballades, 
lais,  virelais,  and  roundels,  and  I  am  very  fond  of 
wine.  I  was  born  in  a  garret,  and  I  shall  not 


NEW    ARABIAN    NIGHTS     339 

improbably  die  upon  the  gallows.  I  may  add,  my 
lord,  that  from  this  night  forward  I  am  your  lord 
ship's  very  obsequious  servant  to  command." 

"No  servant  of  mine,"  said  the  knight;  "my 
guest  for  this  evening,  and  no  more." 

"  A  very  grateful  guest,"  said  Villon  politely, 
and  he  drank  in  dumb  show  to  his  entertainer. 

"  You  are  shrewd,"  began  the  old  man,  tapping 
his  forehead,  "  very  shrewd ;  you  have  learning ; 
you  are  a  clerk ;  and  yet  you  take  a  small  piece  of 
money  off  a  dead  woman  in  the  street.  Is  it  not 
a  kind  of  theft?" 

"  It  is  a  kind  of  theft  much  practised  in  the  wars, 
my  lord." 

"  The  wars  are  the  field  of  honour,"  returned  the 
old  man  proudly.  "  There  a  man  plays  his  life 
upon  the  cast;  he  fights  in  the  name  of  his  lord 
the  king,  his  Lord  God,  and  all  their  lordships  the 
holy  saints  and  angels," 

"  Put  it,"  said  Villon,  "  that  I  were  really  a 
thief,  should  I  not  play  my  life  also,  and  against 
heavier  odds  ?  " 

"  For  gain  but  not  for  honour." 

"  Gain?  "  repeated  Villon  with  a  shrug.  "  Gain ! 
The  poor  fellow  wants  supper,  and  takes  it.  So 
does  the  soldier  in  a  campaign.  Why,  what  are 
all  these  requisitions  we  hear  so  much  about?  If 
they  are  not  gain  to  those  who  take  them,  they  are 
loss  enough  to  the  others.  The  men-at-arms  drink 
by  a  good  fire,  while  the  burgher  bites  his  nails  to 
buy  them  wine  and  wood.  I  have  seen  a  good 
many  ploughmen  swinging  on  trees  about  the  coun- 


340     NEW    ARABIAN    NIGHTS 

try ;  ay,  I  have  seen  thirty  on  one  elm,  and  a  very 
poor  figure  they  made;  and  when  I  asked  some 
one  how  all  these  came  to  be  hanged,  I  was  told  it 
was  because  they  could  not  scrape  together  enough 
crowns  to  satisfy  the  men-at-arms." 

:<  These  things  are  a  necessity  of  war,  which  the 
low-born  must  endure  with  constancy.  It  is  true 
that  some  captains  drive  overhard ;  there  are  spirits 
in  every  rank  not  easily  moved  by  pity;  and  in 
deed  many  follow  arms  who  are  no  better  than 
brigands." 

"  You  see,"  said  the  poet,  "  you  cannot  separate 
the  soldier  from  the  brigand ;  and  what  is  a  thief 
but  an  isolated  brigand  with  circumspect  manners? 
I  steal  a  couple  of  mutton  chops,  without  so  much 
as  disturbing  people's  sleep;  the  farmer  grumbles 
a  bit,  but  sups  none  the  less  wholesomely  on  what 
remains.  You  come  up  blowing  gloriously  on  a 
trumpet,  take  away  the  whole  sheep,  and  beat  the 
farmer  pitifully  into  the  bargain.  I  have  no 
trumpet;  I  am  only  Tom,  Dick,  or  Harry;  I  am 
a  rogue  and  a  dog,  and  hanging  's  too  good  for 
me  —  with  all  my  heart;  but  just  ask  the  farmer 
which  of  us  he  prefers,  just  find  out  which  of  us 
he  lies  awake  to  curse  on  cold  nights." 

"  Look  at  us  two,"  said  his  lordship.  "  I  am 
old,  strong,  and  honoured.  If  I  were  turned  from 
my  house  to-morrow,  hundreds  would  be  proud  to 
shelter  me.  Poor  people  would  go  out  and  pass 
the  night  in  the  streets  with  their  children,  if  I 
merely  hinted  that  I  wished  to  be  alone.  And  I 
find  you  up,  wandering  homeless,  and  picking  far- 


NEW    ARABIAN    NIGHTS     341 

things  off  dead  women  by  the  wayside !  I  fear  no 
man  and  nothing;  I  have  seen  you  tremble  and 
lose  countenance  at  a  word.  I  wait  God's  sum 
mons  contentedly  in  my  own  house,  or,  if  it  please 
the  king  to  call  me  out  again,  upon  the  field  of 
battle.  You  look  for  the  gallows;  a  rough,  swift 
death,  without  hope  or  honour.  Is  there  no  dif 
ference  between  these  two  ?  " 

"  As  far  as  to  the  moon,"  Villon  acquiesced. 
"  But  if  I  had  been  born  lord  of  Brisetout,  and 
you  had  been  the  poor  scholar  Francis,  would  the 
difference  have  been  any  the  less?  Should  not  I 
have  been  warming  my  knees  at  this  charcoal  pan, 
and  would  not  you  have  been  groping  for  farthings 
in  the  snow?  Should  not  I  have  been  the  soldier, 
and  you  the  thief?  " 

"A  thief?"  cried  the  old  man.  "I  a  thief! 
If  you  understood  your  words,  you  would  repent 
them/' 

Villon  turned  out  his  hands  with  a  gesture  of 
inimitable  impudence.  "  If  your  lordship  had  done 
me  the  honour  to  follow  my  argument !  "  he  said. 

"  I  do  you  too  much  honour  in  submitting  to 
your  presence,"  said  the  knight.  "  Learn  to  curb 
your  tongue  when  you  speak  with  old  and  honour 
able  men,  or  some  one  hastier  than  I  may  reprove 
you  in  a  sharper  fashion."  And  he  rose  and  paced 
the  lower  end  of  the  apartment,  struggling  with 
anger  and  antipathy.  Villon  surreptitiously  refilled 
his  cup,  and  settled  himself  more  comfortably  in 
the  chair,  crossing  his  knees  and  leaning  his  head 
upon  one  hand  and  the  elbow  against  the  back  of 


342     NEW    ARABIAN    NIGHTS 

the  chair.  He  was  now  replete  and  warm;  and 
he  was  in  nowise  frightened  for  his  host,  having 
gauged  him  as  justly  as  was  possible  between  two 
such  different  characters.  The  night  was  far  spent, 
and  in  a  very  comfortable  fashion  after  all;  and 
he  felt  morally  certain  of  a  safe  departure  on  the 
morrow. 

"  Tell  me  one  thing,"  said  the  old  man,  pausing 
in  his  walk.  "Are  you  really  a  thief?" 

"  I  claim  the  sacred  rights  of  hospitality,"  re 
turned  the  poet.  "  My  lord,  I  am." 

*  You  are  very  young,"  the  knight  continued. 

"  I  should  never  have  been  so  old,"  replied 
Villon,  showing  his  fingers,  "  if  I  had  not  helped 
myself  with  these  ten  talents.  They  have  been  my 
nursing  mothers  and  my  nursing  fathers." 

'*  You  may  still  repent  and  change." 

"  I  repent  daily,"  said  the  poet.  "  There  are  few 
people  more  given  to  repentance  than  poor  Francis. 
As  for  change,  let  somebody  change  my  circum 
stances.  A  man  must  continue  to  eat,  if  it  were 
only  that  he  may  continue  to  repent." 

:<  The  change  must  begin  in  the  heart,"  returned 
the  old  man  solemnly. 

"  My  dear  lord,"  answered  Villon,  "  do  you 
really  fancy  that  I  steal  for  pleasure?  I  hate 
stealing,  like  any  other  piece  of  work  or  of  danger. 
My  teeth  chatter  when  I  see  a  gallows.  But  I 
must  eat,  I  must  drink,  I  must  mix  in  society  of 
some  sort.  What  the  devil !  Man  is  not  a  soli 
tary  animal  —  Cui  Deus  focminam  tradit.  Make 
me  king's  pantler  —  make  me  abbot  of  St.  Denis ; 


NEW    ARABIAN    NIGHTS     343 

make  me  bailly  of  the  Patatrac;  and  then  I  shall 
be  changed  indeed.  But  as  long  as  you  leave  me 
the  poor  scholar  Francis  Villon,  without  a  far 
thing,  why,  of  course,  I  remain  the  same." 

"  The  grace  of  God  is  all-powerful." 

"  I  should  be  a  heretic  to  question  it,"  said 
Francis.  "  It  has  made  you  lord  of  Brisetout  and 
bailly  of  the  Patatrac;  it  has  given  me  nothing 
but  the  quick  wits  under  my  hat  and  these  ten 
toes  upon  my  hands.  May  I  help  myself  to  wine? 
I  thank  you  respectfully.  By  God's  grace,  you 
have  a  very  superior  vintage." 

The  lord  of  Brisetout  walked  to  and  fro  with 
his  hands  behind  his  back.  Perhaps  he  was  not 
yet  quite  settled  in  his  mind  about  the  parallel 
between  thieves  and  soldiers;  perhaps  Villon  had 
interested  him  by  some  cross-thread  of  sympathy ; 
perhaps  his  wits  were  simply  muddled  by  so  much 
unfamiliar  reasoning;  but  whatever  the  cause,  he 
somehow  yearned  to  convert  the  young  man  to  a 
better  way  of  thinking,  and  could  not  make  up  his 
mind  to  drive  him  forth  again  into  the  street. 

"  There  is  something  more  than  I  can  under 
stand  in  this,"  he  said  at  length.  "  Your  mouth 
is  full  of  subtleties,  and  the  devil  has  led  you  very 
far  astray;  but  the  devil  is  only  a  very  weak  spirit 
before  God's  truth,  and  all  his  subtleties  vanish  at 
a  word  of  true  honour,  like  darkness  at  morning. 
Listen  to  me  once  more.  I  learned  long  ago  that 
a  gentleman  should  live  chivalrously  and  lovingly 
to  God,  and  the  king,  and  his  lady ;  and  though  I 
have  seen  many  strange  things  done,  I  have  still 


344     NEW    ARABIAN    NIGHTS 

striven  to  command  my  ways  upon  that  rule.  It 
is  not  only  written  in  all  noble  histories,  but  in 
every  man's  heart,  if  he  will  take  care  to  read. 
You  speak  of  food  and  wine,  and  I  know  very  well 
that  hunger  is  a  difficult  trial  to  endure;  but  you 
do  not  speak  of  other  wants;  you  say  nothing  of 
honour,  of  faith  to  God  and  other  men,  of  cour 
tesy,  of  love  without  reproach.  It  may  be  that  I 
am  not  very  wise  —  and  yet  I  think  I  am  —  but 
you  seem  to  me  like  one  who  has  lost  his  way  and 
made  a  great  error  in  life.  You  are  attending  to 
the  little  wants,  and  you  have  totally  forgotten  the 
great  and  only  real  ones,  like  a  man  who  should 
be  doctoring  toothache  on  the  Judgment  Day.  For 
such  things  as  honour  and  love  and  faith  are  not 
only  nobler  than  food  and  drink,  but  indeed  I  think 
we  desire  them  more,  and  suffer  more  sharply  for 
their  absence.  I  speak  to  you  as  I  think  you  will 
most  easily  understand  me.  Are  you  not,  while 
careful  to  fill  your  belly,  disregarding  another  ap 
petite  in  your  heart,  which  spoils  the  pleasure  of 
your  life  and  keeps  you  continually  wretched?" 

Villon  was  sensibly  nettled  under  all  this  sermon 
ising.  "  You  think  I  have  no  sense  of  honour !  " 
he  cried.  "  I  'm  poor  enough,  God  knows !  It 's 
hard  to  see  rich  people  with  their  gloves,  and  you 
blowing  in  your  hands.  An  empty  belly  is  a  bitter 
thing,  although  you  speak  so  lightly  of  it.  If  you 
had  had  as  many  as  I,  perhaps  you  would  change 
your  tune.  Anyway  I  'm  a  thief  —  make  the  most 
of  that  —  but  I  'm  not  a  devil  from  hell,  God 
strike  me  dead.  I  would  have  you  to  know  I  've 


NEW    ARABIAN    NIGHTS     345 

an  honour  of  my  own,  as  good  as  yours,  though 
I  don't  prate  about  it  all  day  long,  as  if  it  was  a 
God's  miracle  to  have  any.  It  seems  quite  natural 
to  me ;  I  keep  it  in  its  box  till  it 's  wanted.  Why 
now,  look  you  here,  how  long  have  I  been  in  this 
room  with  you?  Did  you  not  tell  me  you  were 
alone  in  the  house?  Look  at  your  gold  plate! 
You  're  strong,  if  you  like,  but  you  're  old  and 
unarmed,  and  I  have  my  knife.  What  did  I  want 
but  a  jerk  of  the  elbow  and  here  would  have  been 
you  with  the  cold  steel  in  your  bowels,  and  there 
would  have  been  me,  linking  in  the  streets,  with 
an  armful  of  golden  cups!  Did  you  suppose  I 
had  n't  wit  enough  to  see  that  ?  And  I  scorned 
the  action.  There  are  your  damned  goblets,  as  safe 
as  in  a  church;  there  are  you,  with  your  heart 
ticking  as  good  as  new;  and  here  am  I,  ready  to 
,^o  out  again  as  poor  as  I  came  in,  with  my  one 
white  that  you  threw  in  my  teeth!  And  you 
think  I  have  no  sense  of  honour  —  God  strike  me 
dead!" 

The  old  man  stretched  out  his  right  arm.  "  I 
will  tell  you  what  you  are/'  he  said.  "  You  are  a 
rogue,  my  man,  an  impudent  and  black-hearted 
rogue  and  vagabond.  I  have  passed  an  hour  with 
you.  Oh!  believe  me,  I  feel  myself  disgraced! 
And  you  have  eaten  and  drunk  at  my  table.  But 
now  I  am  sick  at  your  presence;  the  day  has 
come,  and  the  night-bird  should  be  off  to  his 
roost.  Will  you  go  before,  or  after?" 

"  Which  you  please,"  returned  the  poet,  rising. 
"  I  believe  you  to  be  strictly  honourable."  He 


346     NEW    ARABIAN    NIGHTS 

thoughtfully  emptied  his  cup.  "  I  wish  I  could 
add  you  were  intelligent,"  he  went  on,  knocking 
on  his  head  with  his  knuckles.  "  Age !  age !  the 
brains  stiff  and  rheumatic." 

The  old  man  preceded  him  from  a  point  of 
self-respect.  Villon  followed,  whistling,  with  his 
thumbs  in  his  girdle. 

"  God  pity  you,"  said  the  lord  of  Brisetout  at 
the  door. 

"  Good-bye,  papa,"  returned  Villon  with  a  yawn. 
"  Many  thanks  for  the  cold  mutton." 

The  door  closed  behind  him.  The  dawn  was 
breaking  over  the  white  roofs.  A  chill,  uncom 
fortable  morning  ushered  in  the  day.  Villon  stood 
and  heartily  stretched  himself  in  the  middle  of  the 
road. 

"  A  very  dull  old  gentleman,"  he  thought.  "  I 
wonder  what  his  goblets  may  be  worth." 


THE   SIRE    DE    MALETROITS 
DOOR 


THE   SIRE    DE    MALETROIT'S 
DOOR 

DENIS  DE  BEAULIEU  was  not  yet 
two-and-twenty,  but  he  counted  himself 
a  grown  man,  and  a  very  accomplished 
cavalier  into  the  bargain.  Lads  were  early  formed 
in  that  rough,  warfaring  epoch;  and  when  one 
has  been  in  a  pitched  battle  and  a  dozen  raids, 
has  killed  one's  man  in  an  honourable  fashion, 
and  knows  a  thing  or  two  of  strategy  and  man 
kind,  a  certain  swagger  in  the  gait  is  surely  to 
be  pardoned.  He  had  put  up  his  horse  with  due 
care,  and  supped  with  due  deliberation;  and  then, 
in  a  very  agreeable  frame  of  mind,  went  out  to 
pay  a  visit  in  the  grey  of  the  evening.  It  was  not 
a  very  wise  proceeding  on  the  young  man's  part. 
He  would  have  done  better  to  remain  beside  the 
fire  or  go  decently  to  bed.  For  the  town  was  full 
of  the  troops  of  Burgundy  and  England  under  a 
mixed  command;  and  though  Denis  was  there  on 
safe-conduct,  his  safe-conduct  was  like  to  serve 
him  little  on  a  chance  encounter. 

It  was  September,  1429;  the  weather  had  fallen 
sharp;  a  flighty  piping  wind,  laden  with  showers, 
beat  about  the  township;  and  the  dead  leaves  ran 
riot  along  the  streets.  Here  and  there  a  window 


350     NEW    ARABIAN    NIGHTS 

was  already  lighted  up;  and  the  noise  of  men-at- 
arms  making  merry  over  supper  within,  came  forth 
in  fits  and  was  swallowed  up  and  carried  away  by 
the  wind.  The  night  fell  swiftly ;  the  flag  of  Eng 
land,  fluttering  on  the  spire-top,  grew  ever  fainter 
and  fainter  against  the  flying  clouds  —  a  black  speck 
like  a  swallow  in  the  tumultuous,  leaden  chaos  of 
the  sky.  As  the  night  fell  the  wind  rose,  and  began 
to  hoot  under  archways  and  roar  amid  the  tree- 
tops  in  the  valley  below  the  town. 

Denis  de  Beaulieu  walked  fast  and  was  soon 
knocking  at  his  friend's  door;  but  though  he 
promised  himself  to  stay  only  a  little  while  and 
make  an  early  return,  his  welcome  was  so  pleasant, 
and  he  found  so  much  to  delay  him,  that  it  was 
already  long  past  midnight  before  he  said  good 
bye  upon  the  threshold.  The  wind  had  fallen  again 
in  the  meanwhile;  the  night  was  as  black  as  the 
grave;  not  a  star,  nor  a  glimmer  of  moonshine, 
slipped  through  the  canopy  of  cloud.  Denis  was 
ill-acquainted  with  the  intricate  lanes  of  Chateau 
Landon;  even  by  daylight  he  had  found  some 
trouble  in  picking  his  way;  and  in  this  absolute 
darkness  he  soon  lost  it  altogether.  He  was  cer 
tain  of  one  thing  only  —  to  keep  mounting  the  hill ; 
for  his  friend's  house  lay  at  the  lower  end,  or  tail, 
of  Chateau  Landon,  while  the  inn  was  up  at  the 
head,  under  the  great  church  spire.  With  this  clue 
to  go  upon  he  stumbled  and  groped  forward,  now 
breathing  more  freely  in  open  places  where  there 
was  a  good  slice  of  sky  overhead,  now  feeling 
along  the  wall  in  stifling  closes.  It  is  an  eerie  and 


NEW    ARABIAN    NIGHTS     351 

mysterious  position  to  be  thus  submerged  in  opaque 
blackness  in  an  almost  unknown  town.  The  silence 
is  terrifying  in  its  possibilities.  The  touch  of  cold 
window-bars  to  the  exploring  hand  startles  the  man 
like  the  touch  of  a  toad;  the  inequalities  of  the 
pavement  shake  his  heart  into  his  mouth ;  a  piece  of 
denser  darkness  threatens  an  ambuscade  or  a  chasm 
in  the  pathway ;  and  where  the  air  is  brighter,  the 
houses  put  on  strange  and  bewildering  appearances, 
as  if  to  lead  him  farther  from  his  way.  For  Denis, 
who  had  to  regain  his  inn  without  attracting  no 
tice,  there  was  real  danger  as  well  as  mere  discom 
fort  in  the  walk;  and  he  went  warily  and  boldly 
at  once,  and  at  every  corner  paused  to  make  an 
observation. 

He  had  been  for  some  time  threading  a  lane  so 
narrow  that  he  could  touch  a  wall  with  either  hand 
when  it  began  to  open  out  and  go  sharply  down 
ward.  Plainly  this  lay  no  longer  in  the  direction 
of  his  inn;  but  the  hope  of  a  little  more  light 
tempted  him  forward  to  reconnoitre.  The  lane 
ended  in  a  terrace  with  a  bartizan  wall,  which 
gave  an  outlook  between  high  houses,  as  out 
of  an  embrasure,  into  the  valley  lying  dark  and 
formless  several  hundred  feet  below.  Denis  looked 
down,  and  could  discern  a  few  tree-tops  waving 
and  a  single  speck  of  brightness  where  the  river 
ran  across  a  weir.  The  weather  was  clearing  up, 
and  the  sky  had  lightened,  so  as  to  show  the  out 
line  of  the  heavier  clouds  and  the  dark  margin  of 
the  hills.  By  the  uncertain  glimmer,  the  house  on 
his  left  hand  should  be  a  place  of  some  preten- 


352     NEW    ARABIAN    NIGHTS 

sions ;  it  was  surmounted  by  several  pinnacles  and 
turret-tops;  the  round  stern  of  a  chapel,  with  a 
fringe  of  flying  buttresses,  projected  boldly  from 
the  main  block;  and  the  door  was  sheltered  under 
a  deep  porch  carved  with  figures  and  overhung  by 
two  long  gargoyles.  The  windows  of  the  chapel 
gleamed  through  their  intricate  tracery  with  a  light 
as  of  many  tapers,  and  threw  out  the  buttresses 
and  the  peaked  roof  in  a  more  intense  blackness 
against  the  sky.  It  was  plainly  the  hotel  of  some 
great  family  of  the  neighbourhood;  and  as  it  re 
minded  Denis  of  a  town  house  of  his  own  at 
Bourges,  he  stood  for  some  time  gazing  up  at  it 
and  mentally  gauging  the  skill  of  the  architects 
and  the  consideration  of  the  two  families. 

There  seemed  to  be  no  issue  to  the  terrace  but 
the  lane  by  which  he  had  reached  it ;  he  could  only 
retrace  his  steps,  but  he  had  gained  some  notion 
of  his  whereabouts,  and  hoped  by  this  means  to 
hit  the  main  thoroughfare  and  speedily  regain  the 
inn.  He  was  reckoning  without  that  chapter  of 
accidents  which  was  to  make  this  night  memorable 
above  all  others  in  his  career ;  for  he  had  not  gone 
back  above  a  hundred  yards  before  he  saw  a  light 
coming  to  meet  him,  and  heard  loud  voices  speak 
ing  together  in  the  echoing  narrows  of  the  lane. 
It  was  a  party  of  men-at-arms  going  the  night 
round  with  torches.  Denis  assured  himself  that 
they  had  all  been  making  free  with  the  wine-bowl, 
and  were  in  no  mood  to  be  particular  about  safe- 
conducts  or  the  niceties  of  chivalrous  war.  It  was 
as  like  as  not  that  they  would  kill  him  like  a  dog 


NEW    ARABIAN    NIGHTS    353 

and  leave  him  where  he  fell.  The  situation  was 
inspiriting  but  nervous.  Their  own  torches  would 
conceal  him  from  sight,  he  reflected ;  and  he  hoped 
that  they  would  drown  the  noise  of  his  footsteps 
with  their  own  empty  voices.  If  he  were  but  fleet 
and  silent,  he  might  evade  their  notice  altogether. 

Unfortunately,  as  he  turned  to  beat  a  retreat, 
his  foot  rolled  upon  a  pebble;  he  fell  against  the 
wall  with  an  ejaculation,  and  his  sword  rang  loudly 
on  the  stones.  Two  or  three  voices  demanded  who 
went  there  —  some  in  French,  some  in  English; 
but  Denis  made  no  reply,  and  ran  the  faster  down 
the  lane.  Once  upon  the  terrace,  he  paused  to  look 
back.  They  still  kept  calling  after  him,  and  just 
then  began  to  double  the  pace  in  pursuit,  with  a 
considerable  clank  of  armour,  and  great  tossing  of 
the  torchlight  to  and  fro  in  the  narrow  jaws  of 
the  passage. 

Denis  cast  a  look  around  and  darted  into  the 
porch.  There  he  might  escape  observation,  or  — 
if  that  were  too  much  to  expect  —  was  in  a  capital 
posture  whether  for  parley  or  defence.  So  think 
ing,  he  drew  his  sword  and  tried  to  set  his  back 
against  the  door.  To  his  surprise,  it  yielded  behind 
his  weight;  and  though  he  turned  in  a  moment, 
continued  to  swing  back  on  oiled  and  noiseless 
hinges,  until  it  stood  wide  open  on  a  black  in- 
terior.  When  things  fall  out  opportunely  for  the 
person  concerned,  he  is  not  apt  to  be  critical 
about  the  how  or  why,  his  own  immediate  per 
sonal  convenience  seeming  a  sufficient  reason  for 
the  strangest  oddities  and  revolutions  in  our  sub- 

VOL.   III.  —  9.1 


354     NEW    ARABIAN    NIGHTS 

lunary  things;  and  so  Denis,  without  a  moment's 
hesitation,  stepped  within  and  partly  closed  the 
door  behind  him  to  conceal  his  place  of  refuge. 
Nothing  was  further  from  his  thoughts  than  to 
close  it  altogether;  but  for  some  inexplicable 
reason  —  perhaps  by  a  spring  or  a  weight  —  the 
ponderous  mass  of  oak  whipped  itself  out  of  his 
fingers  and  clanked  to,  with  a  formidable  rumble 
and  a  noise  like  the  falling  of  an  automatic  bar. 

The  round,  at  that  very  moment,  debouched 
upon  the  terrace  and  proceeded  to  summon  him 
with  shouts  and  curses.  He  heard  them  ferreting 
in  the  dark  corners;  the  stock  of  a  lance  even 
rattled  along  the  outer  surface  of  the  door  behind 
which  he  stood;  but  these  gentlemen  were  in  too 
high  a  humour  to  be  long  delayed,  and  soon  made 
off  down  a  corkscrew  pathway  which  had  escaped 
Denis's  observation,  and  passed  out  of  sight  and 
hearing  along  the  battlements  of  the  town. 

Denis  breathed  again.  He  gave  them  a  few 
minutes'  grace  for  fear  of  accidents,  and  then 
groped  about  for  some  means  of  opening  the  door 
and  slipping  forth  again.  The  inner  surface  was 
quite  smooth,  not  a  handle,  not  a  moulding,  not 
a  projection  of  any  sort.  He  got  his  finger-nails 
round  the  edges  and  pulled,  but  the  mass  was  im 
movable.  He  shook  it,  it  was  as  firm  as  a  rock. 
Denis  de  Beaulieu  frowned  and  gave  vent  to  a 
little  noiseless  whistle.  What  ailed  the  door?  he 
wondered.  Why  was  it  open?  How  came  it  to 
shut  so  easily  and  so  effectually  after  him?  There 
was  something  obscure  and  under-hand  about  all 


NEW    ARABIAN    NIGHTS     355 

this,  that  was  little  to  the  young  man's  fancy.  It 
looked  like  a  snare;  and  yet  who  could  suppose 
a  snare  in  such  a  quiet  by-street  and  in  a  house 
of  so  prosperous  and  even  noble  an  exterior  ?  And 
yet  —  snare  or  no  snare,  intentionally  or  uninten 
tionally —  here  he  was,  prettily  trapped;  and  for 
the  life  of  him  he  could  see  no  way  out  of  it  again. 
The  darkness  began  to  weigh  upon  him.  He  gave 
ear;  all  was  silence  without,  but  within  and  close 
by  he  seemed  to  catch  a  faint  sighing,  a  faint 
sobbing  rustle,  a  little  stealthy  creak  —  as  though 
many  persons  were  at  his  side,  holding  themselves 
quite  still,  and  governing  even  their  respiration 
with  the  extreme  of  slyness.  The  idea  went  to 
his  vitals  with  a  shock,  and  he  faced  about  sud 
denly  as  if  to  defend  his  life.  Then,  for  the  first 
time,  he  became  aware  of  a  light  about  the  level 
of  his  eyes  and  at  some  distance  in  the  interior  of 
the  house  —  a  vertical  thread  of  light,  widening 
towards  the  bottom,  such  as  might  escape  between 
two  wings  of  arras  over  a  doorway.  To  see  any 
thing  was  a  relief  to  Denis ;  it  was  like  a  piece  of 
solid  ground  to  a  man  labouring  in  a  morass ;  his 
mind  seized  upon  it  with  avidity;  and  he  stood 
staring  at  it  and  trying  to  piece  together  some 
logical  conception  of  his  surroundings.  Plainly 
there  was  a  flight  of  steps  ascending  from  his  own 
level  to  that  of  this  illuminated  doorway;  and  in 
deed  he  thought  he  could  make  out  another  thread 
of  light,  as  fine  as  a  needle,  and  as  faint  as  phos 
phorescence,  which  might  very  well  be  reflected 
along  the  polished  wood  of  a  handrail.  Since  he 


356     NEW    ARABIAN    NIGHTS 

had  begun  to  suspect  that  he  was  not  alone,  his 
heart  had  continued  to  beat  with  smothering  vio 
lence,  and  an  intolerable  desire  for  action  of  any 
sort  had  possessed  itself  of  his  spirit.  He  was  in 
deadly  peril,  he  believed.  What  could  be  more 
natural  than  to  mount  the  staircase,  lift  the  cur 
tain,  and  confront  his  difficulty  at  once?  At  least 
he  would  be  dealing  with  something  tangible;  at 
least  he  would  be  no  longer  in  the  dark.  He 
stepped  slowly  forward  with  outstretched  hands, 
until  his  foot  struck  the  bottom  step;  then  he 
rapidly  scaled  the  stairs,  stood  for  a  moment 
to  compose  his  expression,  lifted  the  arras  and 
went  in. 

He  found  himself  in  a  large  apartment  of  pol 
ished  stone.  There  were  three  doors ;  one  on  each 
of  three  sides ;  all  similarly  curtained  with  tapestry. 
The  fourth  side  was  occupied  by  two  large  win 
dows  and  a  great  stone  chimney-piece,  carved  with 
the  arms  of  the  Maletroits.  Denis  recognised  the 
bearings,  and  was  gratified  to  find  himself  in  such 
good  hands.  The  room  was  strongly  illuminated; 
but  it  contained  little  furniture  except  a  heavy  table 
and  a  chair  or  two,  the  hearth  was  innocent  of  fire, 
and  the  pavement  was  but  sparsely  strewn  with 
rushes  clearly  many  days  old. 

On  a  high  chair  beside  the  chimney,  and  directly 
facing  Denis  as  he  entered,  sat  a  little  old  gentle 
man  in  a  fur  tippet.  He  sat  with  his  legs  crossed 
and  his  hands  folded,  and  a  cup  of  spiced  wine 
stood  by  his  elbow  on  a  bracket  on  the  wall.  His 
countenance  had  a  strongly  masculine  cast;  not 


NEW    ARABIAN    NIGHTS    357 

properly  human,  but  such  as  we  see  in  the  bull, 
the  goat,  or  the  domestic  boar;  something  equivo 
cal  and  wheedling,  something  greedy,  brutal,  and 
dangerous.  The  upper  lip  was  inordinately  full, 
as  though  swollen  by  a  blow  or  a  toothache;  and 
the  smile,  the  peaked  eyebrows,  and  the  small, 
strong  eyes  were  quaintly  and  almost  comically 
evil  in  expression.  Beautiful  white  hair  hung 
straight  all  round  his  head,  like  a  saint's,  and  fell 
in  a  single  curl  upon  the  tippet.  His  beard  and 
moustache  were  the  pink  of  venerable  sweetness. 
Age,  probably  in  consequence  of  inordinate  pre 
cautions,  had  left  no  mark  upon  his  hands;  and 
the  Maletroit  hand  was  famous.  It  would  be 
difficult  to  imagine  anything  at  once  so  fleshy 
and  so  delicate  in  design;  the  taper,  sensual 
fingers  were  like  those  of  one  of  Leonardo's 
women;  the  fork  of  the  thumb  made  a  dimpled 
protuberance  when  closed ;  the  nails  were  perfectly 
shaped,  and  of  a  dead,  surprising  whiteness.  It 
rendered  his  aspect  tenfold  more  redoubtable,  that 
a  man  with  hands  like  these  should  keep  them 
devoutly  folded  like  a  virgin  martyr  —  that  a 
man  with  so  intent  and  startling  an  expression 
of  face  should  sit  patiently  on  his  seat  and  con 
template  people  with  an  unwinking  stare,  like  a 
god,  or  a  god's  statue.  His  quiescence  seemed 
ironical  and  treacherous,  it  fitted  so  poorly  with 
his  looks. 

Such  was  Alain,  Sire  de  Maletroit. 

Denis  and  he  looked  silently  at  each  other  for 
a  second  or  two. 


358     NEW    ARABIAN    NIGHTS 

"  Pray  step  in,"  said  the  Sire  de  Maletroit.  "I 
have  been  expecting  you  all  the  evening." 

He  had  not  risen,  but  he  accompanied  his  words 
with  a  smile  and  a  slight  but  courteous  inclination 
of  the  head.  Partly  from  the  smile,  partly  from 
the  strange  musical  murmur  with  which  the  Sire 
prefaced  his  observation,  Denis  felt  a  strong  shud 
der  of  disgust  go  through  his  marrow.  And  what 
with  disgust  and  honest  confusion  of  mind,  he 
could  scarcely  get  words  together  in  reply. 

"  I  fear,"  he  said,  "  that  this  is  a  double  acci 
dent.  I  am  not  the  person  you  suppose  me.  It 
seems  you  were  looking  for  a  visit;  but  for  my 
part,  nothing  was  further  from  my  thoughts  — 
nothing  could  be  more  contrary  to  my  wishes  — 
than  this  intrusion." 

"  Well,  well,"  replied  the  old  gentleman  indul 
gently,  "  here  you  are,  which  is  the  main  point. 
Seat  yourself,  my  friend,  and  put  yourself  entirely 
at  your  ease.  We  shall  arrange  our  little  affairs 
presently." 

Denis  perceived  that  the  matter  was  still  com 
plicated  with  some  misconception,  and  he  hastened 
to  continue  his  explanations. 

"  Your  door  .  .  ."  he  began. 

"  About  my  door  ?  "  asked  the  other,  raising  his 
peaked  eyebrows.  "  A  little  piece  of  ingenuity." 
And  he  shrugged  his  shoulders.  "  A  hospitable 
fancy!  By  your  own  account,  you  were  not  de 
sirous  of  making  my  acquaintance.  We  old  people 
look  for  such  reluctance  now  and  then;  when  it 
touches  our  honour,  we  cast  about  until  we  find 


NEW    ARABIAN    NIGHTS     359 

some  way  of  overcoming  it.  You  arrive  unin 
vited,  but  believe  me,  very  welcome." 

"  You  persist  in  error,  sir,"  said  Denis.  "  There 
can  be  no  question  between  you  and  me.  I  am  a 
stranger  in  this  country-side.  My  name  is  Denis, 
damoiseau  de  Beaulieu.  If  you  see  me  in  your 
house,  it  is  only " 

"  My  young  friend,"  interrupted  the  other,  "  you 
will  permit  me  to  have  my  own  ideas  on  that  sub 
ject.  They  probably  differ  from  yours  at  the  pres 
ent  moment,"  he  added  with  a  leer,  "  but  time  will 
show  which  of  us  is  in  the  right." 

Denis  was  convinced  he  had  to  do  with  a  lunatic. 
He  seated  himself  with  a  shrug,  content  to  wait 
the  upshot;  and  a  pause  ensued,  during  which  he 
thought  he  could  distinguish  a  hurried  gabbling 
as  of  prayer  from  behind  the  arras  immediately 
opposite  him.  Sometimes  there  seemed  to  be  but 
one  person  engaged,  sometimes  two ;  and  the  vehe 
mence  of  the  voice,  low  as  it  was,  seemed  to  in 
dicate  either  great  haste  or  an  agony  of  spirit.  It 
occurred  to  him  that  this  piece  of  tapestry  covered 
the  entrance  to  the  chapel  he  had  noticed  from 
without. 

The  old  gentleman  meanwhile  surveyed  Denis 
from  head  to  foot  with  a  smile,  and  from  time  to 
time  emitted  little  noises  like  a  bird  or  a  mouse, 
which  seemed  to  indicate  a  high  degree  of  satis 
faction.  This  state  of  matters  became  rapidly  in 
supportable;  and  Denis,  to  put  an  end  to  it, 
remarked  politely  that  the  wind  had  gone  down. 

The  old  gentleman  fell  into  a  fit  of  silent  laugh- 


360     NEW   ARABIAN    NIGHTS 

ter,  so  prolonged  and  violent  that  he  became  quite 
red  in  the  face.  Denis  got  upon  his  feet  at  onct, 
and  put  on  his  hat  with  a  flourish. 

"  Sir,"  he  said,  "  if  you  are  in  your  wits,  you 
have  affronted  me  grossly.  If  you  are  out  of 
them,  I  flatter  myself  I  can  find  better  employ 
ment  for  my  brains  than  to  talk  with  lunatics. 
My  conscience  is  clear;  you  have  made  a  fool  of 
me  from  the  first  moment;  you  have  refused  to 
hear  my  explanations ;  and  now  there  is  no  power 
under  God  will  make  me  stay  here  any  longer; 
and  if  I  cannot  make  my  way  out  in  a  more  de 
cent  fashion,  I  will  hack  your  door  in  pieces  with 
my  sword." 

The  Sire  de  Maletroit  raised  his  right  hand  and 
wagged  it  at  Denis  with  the  fore  and  little  fingers 
extended. 

"  My  dear  nephew,"  he  said,  "  sit  down." 

"  Nephew !  "  retorted  Denis,  "  you  lie  in  your 
throat ;  "  and  he  snapped  his  fingers  in  his  face. 

"  Sit  down,  you  rogue !  "  cried  the  old  gentle 
man,  in  a  sudden,  harsh  voice,  like  the  barking  of 
a  dog.  "  Do  you  fancy,"  he  went  on,  "  that  when 
I  had  made  my  little  contrivance  for  the  door  I 
had  stopped  short  with  that?  If  you  prefer  to  be 
bound  hand  and  foot  till  your  bones  ache,  rise  and 
try  to  go  away.  If  you  choose  to  remain  a  free 
young  buck,  agreeably  conversing  with  an  old  gen 
tleman  —  why,  sit  where  you  are  in  peace,  and  God 
be  with  you." 

"  Do  you  mean  I  am  a  prisoner  ?  "  demanded 
Denis. 


NEW    ARABIAN    NIGHTS     361 

"  I  state  the  facts,"  replied  the  other.  "  I  would 
rather  leave  the  conclusion  to  yourself." 

Denis  sat  down  again.  Externally  he  managed 
to  keep  pretty  calm,  but  within,  he  was  now  boil 
ing  with  anger,  now  chilled  with  apprehension. 
He  no  longer  felt  convinced  that  he  was  dealing 
with  a  madman.  And  if  the  old  gentleman  was 
sane,  what,  in  God's  name,  had  he  to  look  for? 
What  absurd  or  tragical  adventure  had  befallen 
him?  What  countenance  was  he  to  assume? 

While  he  was  thus  unpleasantly  reflecting,  the 
arras  that  overhung  the  chapel  door  was  raised, 
and  a  tall  priest  in  his  robes  came  forth  and,  giv 
ing  a  long,  keen  stare  at  Denis,  said  something 
in  an  undertone  to  Sire  de  Maletroit. 

"  She  is  in  a  better  frame  of  spirit  ?  "  asked  the 
latter. 

"  She  is  more  resigned,  messire,"  replied  the 
priest. 

"  Now  the  Lord  help  her,  she  is  hard  to  please !  " 
sneered  the  old  gentleman.  "  A  likely  stripling  — 
not  ill-born  —  and  of  her  own  choosing,  too  ?  Why, 
what  more  would  the  jade  have?" 

[<  The  situation  is  not  usual  for  a  young  dam 
sel,"  said  the  other,  "  and  somewhat  trying  to  her 
blushes." 

"  She  should  have  thought  of  that  before  she 
began  the  dance.  It  was  none  of  my  choosing, 
God  knows  that:  but  since  she  is  in  it,  by  our 
lady,  she  shall  carry  it  to  the  end."  And  then 
addressing  Denis,  "  Monsieur  de  Beaulieu,"  he 
asked,  "  may  I  present  you  to  my  niece  ?  She 


362     NEW    ARABIAN    NIGHTS 

has  been  waiting  your  arrival,  I  may  say,  with 
even  greater  impatience  than  my  self. " 

Denis  had  resigned  himself  with  a  good  grace 
—  all  he  desired  was  to  know  the  worst  of  it  as 
speedily  as  possible ;  so  he  rose  at  once,  and  bowed 
in  acquiescence.  The  Sire  de  Maletroit  followed 
his  example  and  limped,  with  the  assistance  of 
the  chaplain's  arm,  towards  the  chapel-door.  The 
priest  pulled  aside  the  arras,  and  all  three  en 
tered.  The  building  had  considerable  architectural 
pretensions.  A  light  groining  sprang  from  six 
stout  columns,  and  hung  down  in  two  rich  pen 
dants  from  the  centre  of  the  vault.  The  place 
terminated  behind  the  altar  in  a  round  end,  em 
bossed  and  honeycombed  with  a  superfluity  of 
ornament  in  relief,  and  pierced  by  many  little 
windows  shaped  like  stars,  trefoils,  or  wheels. 
These  windows  were  imperfectly  glazed,  so  that 
the  night  air  circulated  freely  in  the  chapel.  The 
tapers,  of  which  there  must  have  been  half  a 
hundred  burning  on  the  altar,  were  unmercifully 
blown  about;  and  the  light  went  through  many 
different  phases  of  brilliancy  and  semi-eclipse.  On 
the  steps  in  front  of  the  altar  knelt  a  young  girl 
richly  attired  as  a  bride.  A  chill  settled  over 
Denis  as  he  observed  her  costume ;  he  fought 
with  desperate  energy  against  the  conclusion  that 
was  being  thrust  upon  his  mind ;  it  could  not  — 
it  should  not  —  be  as  he  feared. 

"  Blanche/*  said  the  Sire,  in  his  most  flute-like 
tones,  "  I  have  brought  a  friend  to  see  you,  my 
little  girl;  turn  round  and  give  him  your  pretty 


NEW    ARABIAN    NIGHTS     363 

hand.     It  is  good  to  be  devout;    but  it  is  neces 
sary  to  be  polite,  my  niece." 

The  girl  rose  to  her  feet  and  turned  toward  the 
new-comers.  She  moved  all  of  a  piece ;  and  shame 
and  exhaustion  were  expressed  in  every  line  of  her 
fresh  young  body;  and  she  held  her  head  down 
and  kept  her  eyes  upon  the  pavement,  as  she  came 
slowly  forward.  In  the  course  of  her  advance,  her 
eyes  fell  upon  Denis  de  Beaulieu's  feet  —  feet  of 
which  he  was  justly  vain,  be  it  remarked,  and 
wore  in  the  most  elegant  accoutrement  even  while 
travelling.  She  paused  —  started,  as  if  his  yellow 
boots  had  conveyed  some  shocking  meaning  —  and 
glanced  suddenly  up  into  the  wearer's  countenance. 
Their  eyes  met;  shame  gave  place  to  horror  and 
terror  in  her  looks;  the  blood  left  her  lips;  with 
a  piercing  scream  she  covered  her  face  with  her 
hands  and  sank  upon  the  chapel  floor. 

"  That  is  not  the  man !  "  she  cried.  "  My  uncle, 
that  is  not  the  man !  " 

The  Sire  de  Maletroit  chirped  agreeably.  "  Of 
course  not,"  he  said,  "  I  expected  as  much.  It  was 
so  unfortunate  you  could  not  remember  his  name." 

"  Indeed,"  she  cried,  "  indeed,  I  have  never  seen 
this  person  till  this  moment  —  I  have  never  so 
much  as  set  eyes  upon  him  —  I  never  wish  to  see 
him  again.  Sir,"  she  said,  turning  to  Denis,  "  if 
you  are  a  gentleman,  you  will  bear  me  out.  Have 
I  ever  seen  you  —  have  you  ever  seen  me  —  before 
this  accursed  hour  ?  " 

*  To  speak  for  myself,  I  have  never  had  that 
pleasure,"  answered  the  young  man.    "  This  is  the 


364     NEW   ARABIAN    NIGHTS 

first  time,  messire,  that  I  have  met  with  your  en 
gaging  niece." 

The  old  gentleman  shrugged  his  shoulders. 

"  I  am  distressed  to  hear  it,"  he  said.  "  But  it 
is  never  too  late  to  begin.  I  had  little  more  ac 
quaintance  with  my  own  late  lady  ere  I  married 
her;  which  proves,"  he  added,  with  a  grimace, 
"  that  these  impromptu  marriages  may  often  pro 
duce  an  excellent  understanding  in  the  long  run. 
As  the  bridegroom  is  to  have  a  voice  in  the  mat 
ter,  I  will  give  him  two  hours  to  make  up  for 
lost  time  before  we  proceed  with  the  ceremony." 
And  he  turned  toward  the  door,  followed  by  the 
clergyman. 

The  girl  was  on  her  feet  in  a  moment.  "  My 
uncle,  you  cannot  be  in  earnest,"  she  said.  "  I 
declare  before  God  I  will  stab  myself  rather  than 
be  forced  on  that  young  man.  The  heart  rises  at 
it;  God  forbids  such  marriages;  you  dishonour 
your  white  hair.  Oh,  my  uncle,  pity  me!  There 
is  not  a  woman  in  all  the  world  but  would  prefer 
death  to  such  a  nuptial.  Is  it  possible,"  she  added, 
faltering — "is  it  possible  that  you  do  not  be 
lieve  me  —  that  you  still  think  this" — and  she 
pointed  at  Denis  with  a  tremor  of  anger  and 
contempt  — "  that  you  still  think  this  to  be  the 
man?" 

"  Frankly,"  said  the  old  gentleman,  pausing  on 
the  threshold,  "  I  do.  But  let  me  explain  to  you 
once  for  all,  Blanche  de  Maletroit,  my  way  of 
thinking  about  this  affair.  When  you  took  it  into 
your  head  to  dishonour  my  family  and  the  name 


NEW    ARABIAN    NIGHTS     365 

that  I  have  borne,  in  peace  and  war,  for  more  than 
three-score  years,  you  forfeited  not  only  the  right 
to  question  my  designs,  but  that  of  looking  me  in 
the  face.  If  your  father  had  been  alive,  he  would 
have  spat  on  you  and  turned  you  out  of  doors. 
His  was  the  hand  of  iron.  You  may  bless  your 
God  you  have  only  to  deal  with  the  hand  of  velvet, 
mademoiselle.  It  was  my  duty  to  get  you  mar 
ried  without  delay.  Out  of  pure  good-will,  I  have 
tried  to  find  your  own  gallant  for  you.  And  I 
believe  I  have  succeeded.  But  before  God  and  all 
the  holy  angels,  Blanche  de  Maletroit,  if  I  have 
not,  I  care  not  one  jack-straw.  So  let  me  recom 
mend  you  to  be  polite  to  our  young  friend;  for 
upon  my  word,  your  next  groom  may  be  less 
appetising." 

And  with  that  he  went  out,  with  the  chaplain 
at  his  heels;  and  the  arras  fell  behind  the  pair. 

The  girl  turned  upon  Denis  with  flashing  eyes. 

"  And  what,  sir,"  she  demanded,  "  may  be  the 
meaning  of  all  this  ?  " 

"  God  knows,"  returned  Denis,  gloomily.  "  I 
am  a  prisoner  in  this  house,  which  seems  full  of 
mad  people.  More  I  know  not;  and  nothing  do 
I  understand." 

"  And  pray  how  came  you  here?  "  she  asked. 

He  told  her  as  briefly  as  he  could.  "  For  the 
rest,"  he  added,  "  perhaps  you  will  follow  my  ex 
ample,  and  tell  me  the  answer  to  all  these  riddles, 
and  what,  in  God's  name,  is  like  to  be  the  end 
of  it." 

She  stood  silent  for  a  little,  and  he  could  see 


366     NEW    ARABIAN    NIGHTS 

her  lips  tremble  and  her  tearless  eyes  burn  with 
a  feverish  lustre.  Then  she  pressed  her  forehead 
in  both  hands. 

"  Alas,  how  my  head  aches !  "  she  said  wearily 
—  "  to  say  nothing  of  my  poor  heart !  But  it  is 
due  to  you  to  know  my  story,  unmaidenly  as  it 
must  seem.  I  am  called  Blanche  de  Maletroit;  I 
have  been  without  father  or  mother  for  —  oh !  for 
as  long  as  I  can  recollect,  and  indeed  I  have  been 
most  unhappy  all  my  life.  Three  months  ago  a 
young  captain  began  to  stand  near  me  every  day 
in  church.  I  could  see  that  I  pleased  him;  I  arn 
much  to  blame,  but  I  was  so  glad  that  any  one 
should  love  me;  and  when  he  passed  me  a  letter, 
I  took  it  home  with  me  and  read  it  with  great 
pleasure.  Since  that  time  he  has  written  many. 
He  was  so  anxious  to  speak  with  me,  poor  fellow! 
and  kept  asking  me  to  leave  the  door  open  some 
evening  that  we  might  have  two  words  upon  the 
stair.  For  he  knew  how  much  my  uncle  trusted 
me."  She  gave  something  like  a  sob  at  that,  and 
it  was  a  moment  before  she  could  go  on.  "  My 
uncle  is  a  hard  man,  but  he  is  very  shrewd/'  she 
said  at  last.  "  He  has  performed  many  feats  in 
war,  and  was  a  great  person  at  court,  and  much 
trusted  by  Queen  Isabeau  in  old  days.  How  he 
came  to  suspect  me  I  cannot  tell;  but  it  is  hard 
to  keep  anything  from  his  knowledge;  and  this 
morning,  as  we  came  from  mass,  he  took  my 
hand  into  his,  forced  it  open,  and  read  my  little 
billet,  walking  by  my  side  all  the  while.  When 
he  finished,  he  gave  it  back  to  me  with  great 


NEW    ARABIAN    NIGHTS    367 

politeness.  It  contained  another  request  to  have 
the  door  left  open;  and  this  has  been  the  ruin 
of  us  all.  My  uncle  kept  me  strictly  in  my  room 
until  evening,  and  then  ordered  me  to  dress  my 
self  as  you  see  me  —  a  hard  mockery  for  a  young 
girl,  do  you  not  think  so?  I  suppose,  when  he 
could  not  prevail  with  me  to  tell  him  the  young 
captain's  name,  he  must  have  laid  a  trap  for  him: 
into  which,  alas!  you  have  fallen  in  the  anger  of 
God.  I  looked  for  much  confusion ;  for  how  could 
I  tell  whether  he  was  willing  to  take  me  for  his 
wife  on  these  sharp  terms?  He  might  have  been 
trifling  with  me  from  the  first;  or  I  might  have 
made  myself  too  cheap  in  his  eyes.  But  truly  I 
had  not  looked  for  such  a  shameful  punishment 
as  this!  I  could  not  think  that  God  would  let  a 
girl  be  so  disgraced  before  a  young  man.  And 
now  I  tell  you  all;  and  I  can  scarcely  hope  that 
you  will  not  despise  me." 

Denis  made  her  a  respectful  inclination. 

"  Madam,"  he  said,  "  you  have  honoured  me  by 
your  confidence.  It  remains  for  me  to  prove  that 
I  am  not  unworthy  of  the  honour.  Is  Messire  de 
Maletroit  at  hand?" 

"  I  believe  he  is  writing  in  the  salle  without," 
she  answered. 

"May  I  lead  you  thither,  madam?"  asked 
Denis,  offering  his  hand  with  his  most  courtly 
bearing. 

She  accepted  it;  and  the  pair  passed  out  of  the 
chapel,  Blanche  in  a  very  drooping  and  shamefast 
condition,  but  Denis  strutting  and  ruffling  in  the 


j68     NEW    ARABIAN    NIGHTS 

consciousness  of  a  mission,  and  the  boyish  cer 
tainty  of  accomplishing  it  with  honour. 

The  Sire  de  Maletroit  rose  to  meet  them  with 
an  ironical  obeisance. 

"  Sir,"  said  Denis,  with  the  grandest  possible 
air,  "  I  believe  I  am  to  have  some  say  in  the 
matter  of  this  marriage;  and  let  me  tell  you  at 
once,  I  will  be  no  party  to  forcing  the  inclination 
of  this  young  lady.  Had  it  been  freely  offered 
to  me,  I  should  have  been  proud  to  accept  her 
hand,  for  I  perceive  she  is  as  good  as  she  is 
beautiful;  but  as  things  are,  I  have  now  the 
honour,  messire,  of  refusing." 

Blanche  looked  at  him  with  gratitude  in  her 
eyes;  but  the  old  gentleman  only  smiled  and 
smiled,  until  his  smile  grew  positively  sickening 
to  Denis. 

"  I  am  afraid,"  he  said,  "  Monsieur  de  Beaulieu, 
that  you  do  not  perfectly  understand  the  choice  I 
have  offered  you.  Follow  me,  I  beseech  you,  to 
this  window."  And  he  led  the  way  to  one  of  the 
large  windows  which  stood  open  on  the  night. 
"  You  observe,"  he  went  on,  "  there  is  an  iron 
ring  in  the  upper  masonry,  and  reeved  through 
that,  a  very  efficacious  rope.  Now,  mark  my 
words :  if  you  should  find  your  disinclination  to 
my  niece's  person  insurmountable,  I  shall  have 
you  hanged  out  of  this  window  before  sunrise.  I 
shall  only  proceed  to  such  an  extremity  with  the 
greatest  regret,  you  may  believe  me.  For  it  is 
not  at  all  your  death  that  I  desire,  but  my  niece's 
establishment  in  life.  At  the  same  time,  it  must 


NEW    ARABIAN    NIGHTS     369 

come  to  that  if  you  prove  obstinate.  Your  family, 
Monsieur  de  Beaulieu,  is  very  well  in  its  way; 
but  if  you  sprang  from  Charlemagne,  you  should 
not  refuse  the  hand  of  a  Maletroit  with  impunity 
—  not  if  she  had  been  as  common  as  the  Paris 
road  —  not  if  she  were  as  hideous  as  the  gargoyle 
over  my  door.  Neither  my  niece  nor  you,  nor  my 
own  private  feelings,  move  me  at  all  in  this  mat 
ter.  The  honour  of  my  house  has  been  compro 
mised;  I  believe  you  to  be  the  guilty  person,  at 
least  you  are  now  in  the  secret;  and  you  can 
hardly  wonder  if  I  request  you  to  wipe  out  the 
stain.  If  you  will  not,  your  blood  be  on  your 
own  head !  It  will  be  no  great  satisfaction  to  me 
to  have  your  interesting  relics  kicking  their  heels 
in  the  breeze  below  my  windows,  but  half  a  loaf 
is  better  than  no  bread,  and  if  I  cannot  cure  the 
dishonour,  I  shall  at  least  stop  the  scandal." 

There  was  a  pause. 

"  I  believe  there  are  other  ways  of  settling  such 
imbroglios  among  gentlemen,"  said  Denis.  "  You 
wear  a  sword,  and  I  hear  you  have  used  it  with 
distinction." 

The  Sire  de  Maletroit  made  a  signal  to  the 
chaplain,  who  crossed  the  room  with  long  silent 
strides  and  raised  the  arras  over  the  third  of  the 
three  doors.  It  was  only  a  moment  before  he  let 
it  fall  again;  but  Denis  had  time  to  see  a  dusky 
passage  full  of  armed  men. 

"  When  I  was  a  little  younger,  I  should  have 
been  delighted  to  honour  you,  Monsieur  de  Beau- 
lieu,"  said  Sire  Alain;  "but  I  am  now  too  old. 

TOL.   HI.  — 24 


370     NEW    ARABIAN    NIGHTS 

Faithful  retainers  are  the  sinews  of  age,  and  I 
must  employ  the  strength  I  have.  This  is  one 
of  the  hardest  things  to  swallow  as  a  man  grows 
up  in  years;  but  with  a  little  patience,  even  this 
becomes  habitual.  You  and  the  lady  seem  to 
prefer  the  salle  for  what  remains  of  your  two 
hours;  and  as  I  have  no  desire  to  cross  your 
preference,  I  shall  resign  it  to  your  use  with  all 
the  pleasure  in  the  world.  No  haste !  "  he  added, 
holding  up  his  hand,  as  he  saw  a  dangerous  look 
come  into  Denis  de  Beaulieu's  face.  "  If  your 
mind  revolt  against  hanging,  it  will  be  time 
enough  two  hours  hence  to  throw  yourself  out 
of  the  window  or  upon  the  pikes  of  my  retainers. 
Two  hours  of  life  are  always  twro  hours.  A 
great  many  things  may  turn  up  in  even  as  little 
a  while  as  that.  And,  besides,  if  I  understand 
her  appearance,  my  niece  has  something  to  say 
to  you.  You  will  not  disfigure  your  last  hours 
by  a  want  of  politeness  to  a  lady?" 

Denis  looked  at  Blanche,  and  she  made  him  an 
imploring  gesture. 

It  is  likely  that  the  old  gentleman  was  hugely 
pleased  at  this  symptom  of  an  understanding;  for 
he  smiled  on  both,  and  added  sweetly :  "  If  you 
will  give  me  your  word  of  honour,  Monsieur  de 
Beaulieu,  to  await  my  return  at  the  end  of  the  two 
hours  before  attempting  anything  desperate,  I  shall 
withdraw  my  retainers,  and  let  you  speak  in  greater 
privacy  with  mademoiselle." 

Denis  again  glanced  at  the  girl,  who  seemed  to 
beseech  him  to  agree. 


NEW   ARABIAN    NIGHTS     371 

"  I  give  you  my  word  of  honour,"  he  said. 

Messire  de  Maletroit  bowed,  and  proceeded  to 
limp  about  the  apartment,  clearing  his  throat  the 
while  with  that  odd  musical  chirp  which  had  al 
ready  grown  so  irritating  in  the  ears  of  Denis 
de  Beaulieu.  He  first  possessed  himself  of  some 
papers  which  lay  upon  the  table;  then  he  went 
to  the  mouth  of  the  passage  and  appeared  to  give 
an  order  to  the  men  behind  the  arras;  and  lastly 
he  hobbled  out  through  the  door  by  which  Denis 
had  come  in,  turning  upon  the  threshold  to  ad 
dress  a  last  smiling  bow  to  the  young  couple,  and 
followed  by  the  chaplain  with  a  hand-lamp. 

No  sooner  were  they  alone  than  Blanche  ad 
vanced  towards  Denis  with  her  hands  extended. 
Her  face  was  flushed  and  excited,  and  her  eyes 
shone  with  tears. 

"You  shall  not  die!"  she  cried,  "you  shall 
marry  me  after  all." 

"  You  seem  to  think,  madam/'  replied  Denis, 
"  that  I  stand  much  in  fear  of  death." 

"  Oh,  no,  no,"  she  said,  "  I  see  you  are  no  pol 
troon.  It  is  for  my  own  sake  —  I  could  not  bear 
to  have  you  slain  for  such  a  scruple." 

"  I  am  afraid,"  returned  Denis,  "  that  you  un 
derrate  the  difficulty,  madam.  What  you  may  be 
too  generous  to  refuse,  I  may  be  too  proud  to 
accept.  In  a  moment  of  noble  feeling  towards  me, 
you  forgot  what  you  perhaps  owe  to  others." 

He  had  the  decency  to  keep  his  eyes  on  the  floor 
as  he  said  this,  and  after  he  had  finished,  so  as  not 
to  spy  upon  her  confusion.  She  stood  silent  for  a 


37*     NEW    ARABIAN    NIGHTS 

moment,  then  walked  suddenly  away,  and  falling 
on  her  uncle's  chair,  fairly  burst  out  sobbing. 
Denis  was  in  the  acme  of  embarrassment.  He 
looked  round,  as  if  to  seek  for  inspiration,  and 
seeing  a  stool,  plumped  down  upon  it  for  some 
thing  to  do.  There  he  sat  playing  with  the  guard 
of  his  rapier,  and  wishing  himself  dead  a  thousand 
times  over,  and  buried  in  the  nastiest  kitchen-heap 
in  France.  His  eyes  wandered  round  the  apart 
ment,  but  found  nothing  to  arrest  them.  There 
were  such  wide  spaces  between  the  furniture,  the 
light  fell  so  badly  and  cheerlessly  over  all,  the  dark 
outside  air  looked  in  so  coldly  through  the  win 
dows  that  he  thought  he  had  never  seen  a  church 
so  vast,  nor  a  tomb  so  melancholy.  The  regular 
sobs  of  Blanche  de  Maletroit  measured  out  the 
time  like  the  ticking  of  a  clock.  He  read  the 
device  upon  the  shield  over  and  over  again,  until 
his  eyes  became  obscured ;  he  stared  into  shadowy 
corners  until  he  imagined  they  were  swarming  with 
horrible  animals;  and  every  now  and  again  he 
awoke  with  a  start,  to  remember  that  his  last 
two  hours  were  running,  and  death  was  on  the 
march. 

Oftener  and  oftener,  as  the  time  went  on,  did 
his  glance  settle  on  the  girl  herself.  Her  face  was 
bowed  forward  and  covered  with  her  hands,  and 
she  was  shaken  at  intervals  by  the  convulsive  hic 
cup  of  grief.  Even  thus  she  was  not  an  unpleas 
ant  object  to  dwell  upon,  so  plump  and  yet  so  fine, 
with  a  warm  brown  skin,  and  the  most  beautiful 
hair,  Denis  thought,  in  the  whole  world  of  woman- 


NEW    ARABIAN    NIGHTS    373 

kind.  Her  hands  were  like  her  uncle's;  but  they 
were  more  in  place  at  the  end  of  her  young  arms, 
and  looked  infinitely  soft  and  caressing.  He  re 
membered  how  her  blue  eyes  had  shone  upon  him, 
full  of  anger,  pity,  and  innocence.  And  the  more 
he  dwelt  on  her  perfections,  the  uglier  death  looked, 
and  the  more  deeply  was  he  smitten  with  penitence 
at  her  continued  tears.  Now  he  felt  that  no  man 
could  have  the  courage  to  leave  a  world  which 
contained  so  beautiful  a  creature;  and  now  he 
would  have  given  forty  minutes  of  his  last  hour 
to  have  unsaid  his  cruel  speech. 

Suddenly  a  hoarse  and  ragged  peal  of  cockcrow 
rose  to  their  ears  from  the  dark  valley  below  the 
windows.  And  this  shattering  noise  in  the  silence 
of  all  around  was  like  a  light  in  a  dark  place,  and 
shook  them  both  out  of  their  reflections. 

"  Alas,  can  I  do  nothing  to  help  you?  "  she  said, 
looking  up. 

"  Madam,"  replied  Denis,  with  a  fine  irrele 
vancy,  "  if  I  have  said  anything  to  wound  you, 
believe  me,  it  was  for  your  own  sake  and  not  for 
mine." 

She  thanked  him  with  a  tearful  look. 

"  I  feel  your  position  cruelly,"  he  went  on. 
'  The  world  has  been  bitter  hard  on  you.  Your 
uncle  is  a  disgrace  to  mankind.  Believe  me, 
madam,  there  is  no  young  gentleman  in  all 
France  but  would  be  glad  of  my  opportunity,  to 
die  in  doing  you  a  momentary  service." 

"  I  know  already  that  you  can  be  very  brave 
and  g-enerous,"  she  answered.  "  What  I  want  to 


374     NEW    ARABIAN    NIGHTb 

know  is  whether  I  can  serve  you  —  now  or  after 
wards/'  she  added,  with  a  quaver. 

"  Most  certainly,"  he  answered  with  a  smile. 
"  Let  me  sit  beside  you  as  if  I  were  a  friend,  in 
stead  of  a  foolish  intruder;  try  to  forget  how 
awkwardly  we  are  placed  to  one  another;  make 
my  last  moments  go  pleasantly;  and  you  will  do 
me  the  chief  service  possible." 

"  You  are  very  gallant,"  she  added,  with  a 
yet  deeper  sadness  ..."  very  gallant  .  .  .  and 
it  somehow  pains  me.  But  draw  nearer,  if  you 
please;  and  if  you  find  anything  to  say  to  me, 
you  will  at  least  make  certain  of  a  very  friendly 
listener.  Ah!  Monsieur  de  Beaulieu,"  she  broke 
forth  —  "  ah !  Monsieur  de  Beaulieu,  how  can  I 
look  you  in  the  face  ?  "  And  she  fell  to  weeping 
again  with  a  renewed  effusion. 

"  Madam,"  said  Denis,  taking  her  hand  in  both 
of  his,  "  reflect  on  the  little  time  I  have  before  me, 
and  the  great  bitterness  into  which  I  am  cast  by 
the  sight  of  your  distress.  Spare  me,  in  my  last 
moments,  the  spectacle  of  what  I  cannot  cure  even 
with  the  sacrifice  of  my  life." 

"  I  am  very  selfish,"  answered  Blanche.  "  I  will 
be  braver,  Monsieur  de  Beaulieu,  for  your  sake. 
But  think  if  I  can  do  you  no  kindness  in  the  future 
—  if  you  have  no  friends  to  whom  I  could  carry 
your  adieux.  Charge  me  as  heavily  as  you  can; 
every  burthen  will  lighten,  by  so  little,  the  invalu 
able  gratitude  I  owe  you.  Put  it  in  my  power  to 
do  something  more  for  you  than  weep." 

"  My  mother  is  married  again,  and  has  a  young 


NEW   ARABIAN    NIGHTS     375 

family  to  care  for.  My  brother  Guichard  will  in 
herit  my  fiefs;  and  if  I  am  not  in  error,  that  will 
content  him  amply  for  my  death.  Life  is  a  little 
vapour  that  passeth  away,  as  we  are  told  by  those 
in  holy  orders.  When  a  man  is  in  a  fair  way  and 
sees  all  life  open  in  front  of  him,  he  seems  to  him 
self  to  make  a  very  important  figure  in  the  world. 
His  horse  whinnies  to  him ;  the  trumpets  blow  and 
the  girls  look  out  of  window  as  he  rides  into  town 
before  his  company;  he  receives  many  assurances 
of  trust  and  regard  —  sometimes  by  express  in  a 
letter  —  sometimes  face  to  face,  with  persons  of 
great  consequence  falling  on  his  neck.  It  is  not 
wonderful  if  his  head  is  turned  for  a  time.  But 
once  he  is  dead,  were  he  as  brave  as  Hercules  or 
as  wise  as  Solomon,  he  is  soon  forgotten.  It  is 
not  ten  years  since  my  father  fell,  with  many  other 
knights  around  him,  in  a  very  fierce  encounter, 
and  I  do  not  think  that  any  one  of  them,  nor  so 
much  as  the  name  of  the  fight,  is  now  remembered. 
No,  no,  madam,  the  nearer  you  come  to  it,  you  see 
that  death  is  a  dark  and  dusty  corner,  where  a  man 
gets  into  his  tomb  and  has  the  door  shut  after  him 
till  the  Judgment  Day.  I  have  few  friends  just 
now,  and  once  I  am  dead  I  shall  have  none." 

"  Ah,  Monsieur  de  Beaulieu !  "  she  exclaimed, 
"you  forget  Blanche  de  Maletroit." 

'  You  have  a  sweet  nature,  madam,  and  you  are 
pleased  to  estimate  a  little  service  far  beyond  its 
worth." 

"  It  is  not  that,"  she  answered.  "  You  mistake 
me  if  you  think  I  am  easily  touched  by  my  own 


376     NEW    ARABIAN    NIGHTS 

concerns.  I  say  so,  because  you  are  the  noblest 
man  I  have  ever  met;  because  I  recognise  in  you 
a  spirit  that  would  have  made  even  a  common  per 
son  famous  in  the  land." 

"  And  yet  here  I  die  in  a  mousetrap  —  with  no 
more  noise  about  it  than  my  own  squeaking," 
answered  he. 

A  look  of  pain  crossed  her  face,  and  she  was 
silent  for  a  little  while.  Then  a  light  came  into 
her  eyes,  and  with  a  smile  she  spoke  again. 

"  I  cannot  have  my  champion  think  meanly  of 
himself.  Any  one  who  gives  his  life  for  another 
will  be  met  in  Paradise  by  all  the  heralds  and 
angels  of  the  Lord  God.  And  you  have  no  such 
cause  to  hang  your  head.  For  .  .  .  pray,  do  you 
think  me  beautiful?"  she  asked,  with  a  deep 
flush. 

"  Indeed,  madam,  I  do,"  he  said. 

"  I  am  glad  of  that,"  she  answered  heartily. 
"  Do  you  think  there  are  many  men  in  France  who 
have  been  asked  in  marriage  by  a  beautiful  maiden 
—  with  her  own  lips  —  and  who  have  refused  her 
to  her  face?  I  know  you  men  would  half  despise 
such  a  triumph ;  but  believe  me,  we  women  know 
more  of  what  is  precious  in  love.  There  is  noth 
ing  that  should  set  a  person  higher  in  his  own 
esteem ;  and  we  women  would  prize  nothing  more 
dearly." 

"  You  are  very  good,"  he  said ;  "  but  you  can 
not  make  me  forget  that  I  wa?  asked  in  pity  and 
not  for  love." 

"  I  am  not  so  sure  of  that,"  she  replied,  holding 


NEW    ARABIAN    NIGHTS    377 

down  her  head.  "  Hear  me  to  an  end,  Monsieur 
de  Beaulieu.  I  know  how  you  must  despise  me; 
I  feel  you  are  right  to  do  so;  I  am  too  poor  a 
creature  to  occupy  one  thought  of  your  mind, 
although,  alas !  you  must  die  for  me  this  morning. 
But  when  I  asked  you  to  marry  me,  indeed,  and 
indeed,  it  was  because  I  respected  and  admired 
you,  and  loved  you  with  my  whole  soul,  from  the 
very  moment  that  you  took  my  part  against  my 
uncle.  If  you  had  seen  yourself,  and  how  noble 
you  looked,  you  would  pity  rather  than  despise  me. 
And  now,"  she  went  on,  hurriedly  checking  him 
with  her  hand,  "  although  I  have  laid  aside  all 
reserve  and  told  you  so  much,  remember  that 
I  know  your  sentiments  towards  me  already.  I 
would  not,  believe  me,  being  nobly  born,  weary 
you  with  importunities  into  consent.  I  too  have 
a  pride  of  my  own :  and  I  declare  before  the  holy 
mother  of  God,  if  you  should  now  go  back  from 
your  word  already  given,  I  would  no  more  marry 
you  than  I  would  marry  my  uncle's  groom." 

Denis  smiled  a  little  bitterly. 

"  It  is  a  small  love,"  he  said,  "  that  shies  at  a 
little  pride." 

She  made  no  answer,  although  she  probably  had 
her  own  thoughts. 

"  Come  hither  to  the  window,"  he  said  with  a 
sigh.  "  Here  is  the  dawn." 

And  indeed  the  dawn  was  already  beginning. 
The  hollow  of  the  sky  was  full  of  essential  day 
light,  colourless  and  clean;  and  the  valley  under 
neath  was  flooded  with  a  grey  reflection.  A  few 


378     NEW   ARABIAN    NIGHTS 

thin  vapours  clung  in  the  coves  of  the  forest  or 
lay  along  the  winding  course  of  the  river.  The 
scene  disengaged  a  surprising  effect  of  stillness, 
which  was  hardly  interrupted  when  the  cocks  be 
gan  once  more  to  crow  among  the  steadings. 
Perhaps  the  same  fellow  who  had  made  so  hor 
rid  a  clangour  in  the  darkness  not  half  an  hour 
before,  now  sent  up  the  merriest  cheer  to  greet 
the  coming  day.  A  little  wind  went  bustling  and 
eddying  among  the  tree-tops  underneath  the  win 
dows.  And  still  the  daylight  kept  flooding  insen 
sibly  out  of  the  east,  which  was  soon  to  grow 
incandescent  and  cast  up  that  red-hot  cannon-ball, 
the  rising  sun. 

Denis  looked  out  over  all  this  with  a  bit  of  a 
shiver.  He  had  taken  her  hand,  and  retained  it  in 
his  almost  unconsciously. 

"  Has  the  day  begun  already  ?  "  she  said ;  and 
then,  illogically  enough :  "  the  night  has  been  so 
long !  Alas !  what  shall  we  say  to  my  uncle  when 
he  returns  ?  " 

"  What  you  will,"  said  Denis,  and  he  pressed 
her  ringers  in  his. 

She  was  silent. 

"  Blanche,"  he  said,  with  a  swift,  uncertain, 
passionate  utterance,  "  you  have  seen  whether  I 
fear  death.  You  must  know  well  enough  that  I 
would  as  gladly  leap  out  of  that  window  into  the 
empty  air  as  to  lay  a  finger  on  you  without  your 
free  and  full  consent.  But  if  you  care  for  me  at 
all,  do  not  let  me  lose  my  life  in  a  misapprehension ; 
for  I  love  you  better  than  the  whole  world;  and 


NEW    ARABIAN    NIGHTS     379 

though  I  will  die  for  you  blithely,  it  would  be  like 
all  the  joys  of  Paradise  to  live  on  and  spend  my 
life  in  your  service." 

As  he  stopped  speaking,  a  bell  began  to  ring 
loudly  in  the  interior  of  the  house;  and  a  clatter 
of  armour  in  the  corridor  showed  that  the  retainers 
were  returning  to  their  post,  and  the  two  hours 
were  at  an  end. 

"  After  all  that  you  have  heard  ?  "  she  whispered, 
leaning  towards  him  with  her  lips  and  eyes. 

"  I  have  heard  nothing,"  he  replied. 

"  The  captain's  name  was  Florimond  de  Champ- 
divers/'  she  said  in  his  ear. 

"  I  did  not  hear  it,"  he  answered,  taking  her 
supple  body  in  his  arms,  and  covering  her  wet  face 
with  kisses. 

A  melodious  chirping  was  audible  behind,  fol 
lowed  by  a  beautiful  chuckle,  and  the  voice  of 
Messire  de  Maletroit  wished  his  new  nephew  a 
good-morning. 


PROVIDENCE  AND  THE  GUITAR 


PROVIDENCE  AND  THE  GUITAR 

CHAPTER   I 

MONSIEUR  LEON  BERTHELINI  had 
a  great  care  of  his  appearance,  and 
sedulously  suited  his  deportment  to  the 
costume  of  the  hour.  He  affected  something 
Spanish  in  his  air,  and  something  of  the  bandit, 
with  a  flavour  of  Rembrandt  at  home.  In  person 
he  was  decidedly  small  and  inclined  to  be  stout; 
his  face  was  the  picture  of  good  humour;  his 
dark  eyes,  which  were  very  expressive,  told  of  a 
kind  heart,  a  brisk,  merry  nature,  and  the  most 
indefatigable  spirits.  If  he  had  worn  the  clothes 
of  the  period  you  would  have  set  him  down  for 
a  hitherto  undiscovered  hybrid  between  the  barber, 
the  innkeeper,  and  the  affable  dispensing  chemist. 
But  in  the  outrageous  bravery  of  velvet  jacket  and 
flapped  hat,  with  trousers  that  were  more  accu 
rately  described  as  fleshings,  a  white  handkerchief 
cavalierly  knotted  at  his  neck,  a  shock  of  Olympian 
curls  upon  his  brow,  and  his  feet  shod  through 
all  weathers  in  the  slenderest  of  Moliere  shoes  — 
you  had  but  to  look  at  him  and  you  knew  you  were 
in  the  presence  of  a  Great  Creature.  When  he 
wore  an  overcoat  he  scorned  to  pass  the  sleeves; 


384     NEW    ARABIAN    NIGHTS 

a  single  button  held  it  round  his  shoulders ;  it  was 
tossed  backwards  after  the  manner  of  a  cloak,  and 
carried  with  the  gait  and  presence  of  an  Almaviva. 
I  am  of  opinion  that  M.  Berthelini  was  nearing 
forty.  But  he  had  a  boy's  heart,  gloried  in  his 
finery,  and  walked  through  life  like  a  child  in  a 
perpetual  dramatic  performance.  If  he  were  not 
Almaviva  after  all,  it  was  not  for  lack  of  making 
believe.  And  he  enjoyed  the  artist's  compensa 
tion.  If  he  were  not  really  Almaviva,  he  was 
sometimes  just  as  happy  as  though  he  were. 

I  have  seen  him,  at  moments  when  he  has 
fancied  himself  alone  with  his  Maker,  adopt  so 
gay  and  chivalrous  a  bearing,  and  represent  his 
own  part  with  so  much  warmth  and  conscience, 
that  the  illusion  became  catching,  and  I  believed 
implicitly  in  the  Great  Creature's  pose. 

But,  alas!  life  cannot  be  entirely  conducted  on 
these  principles;  man  cannot  live  by  Almavivery 
alone;  and  the  Great  Creature,  having  failed 
upon  several  theatres,  was  obliged  to  step  down 
every  evening  from  his  heights,  and  sing  from 
a  half-a-dozen  to  a  dozen  comic  songs,  twang 
a  guitar,  keep  a  country  audience  in  good  hu 
mour,  and  preside  finally  over  the  mysteries  of  a 
tombola. 

Madame  Berthelini,  who  was  art  and  part  with 
him  in  these  undignified  labours,  had  perhaps  a 
higher  position  in  the  scale  of  beings,  and  enjoyed 
a  natural  dignity  of  her  own.  But  her  heart  was 
not  any  more  rightly  placed,  for  that  would  have 
been  impossible;  and  she  had  acquired  a  little  air 


NEW    ARABIAN    NIGHTS    385 

of  melancholy,  attractive  enough  in  its  way,  but 
not  good  to  see  like  the  wholesome,  sky-scraping, 
boyish  spirits  of  her  lord. 

He,  indeed,  swam  like  a  kite  on  a  fair  wind, 
high  above  earthly  troubles.  Detonations  of 
temper  were  not  unfrequent  in  the  zones  he  trav 
elled  ;  but  sulky  fogs  and  tearful  depressions  were 
there  alike  unknown.  A  well-delivered  blow  upon 
a  table,  or  a  noble  attitude,  imitated  from  Melingue 
or  Frederic,  relieved  his  irritation  like  a  vengeance. 
Though  the  heaven  had  fallen,  if  he  had  played  his 
part  with  propriety,  Berthelini  had  been  content! 
And  the  man's  atmosphere,  if  not  his  example,  re 
acted  on  his  wife;  for  the  couple  doted  on  each 
other,  and  although  you  would  have  thought  they 
walked  in  different  worlds,  yet  continued  to  walk 
hand  in  hand. 

It  chanced  one  day  that  Monsieur  and  Madame 
Berthelini  descended  with  two  boxes  and  a  guitar 
in  a  fat  case  at  the  station  of  the  little  town  of 
Castel-le-Gachis,  and  the  omnibus  carried  them 
with  their  effects  to  the  Hotel  of  the  Black  Head. 
This  was  a  dismal,  conventual  building  in  a  narrow 
street,  capable  of  standing  siege  when  once  the 
gates  were  shut,  and  smelling  strangely  in  the  in 
terior  of  straw  and  chocolate  and  old  feminine 
apparel.  Berthelini  paused  upon  the  threshold  with 
a  painful  premonition.  In  some  former  state,  it 
seemed  to  him,  he  had  visited  a  hostelry  that  smelt 
not  otherwise,  and  been  ill  received. 

The  landlord,  a  tragic  person  in  a  large  felt  hat, 
rose  from  a  business  table  under  the  key-rack,  and 
VOL.  in.  —  a 


386     NEW    ARABIAN    NIGHTS 

came  forward,  removing  his  hat  with  both  hands 
as  he  did  so. 

"  Sir,  I  salute  you.  May  I  inquire  what  is  your 
charge  for  artists?"  inquired  Berthelini,  with  a 
courtesy  at  once  splendid  and  insinuating. 

"For  artists?"  said  the  landlord.  His  counte 
nance  fell  and  the  smile  of  welcome  disappeared. 
"  Oh,  artists!  "  he  added  brutally;  "  four  francs  a 
day."  And  he  turned  his  back  upon  these  incon 
siderable  customers. 

A  commercial  traveller  is  received,  he  also,  upon 
a  reduction  —  yet  is  he  welcome,  yet  can  he  com 
mand  the  fatted  calf;  but  an  artist,  had  he  the 
manners  of  an  Almaviva,  were  he  dressed  like 
Solomon  in  all  his  glory,  is  received  like  a  dog 
and  served  like  a  timid  lady  travelling  alone. 

Accustomed  as  he  was  to  the  rubs  of  his  profes 
sion,  Berthelini  was  unpleasantly  affected  by  the 
landlord's  manner. 

"  Elvira,"  said  he  to  his  wife,  "  mark  my  words : 
Castel-le-Gachis  is  a  tragic  folly." 

"  Wait  till  we  see  what  we  take,"  replied  Elvira. 

"  We  shall  take  nothing,"  returned  Berthelini ; 
"  we  shall  feed  upon  insults.  I  have  an  eye, 
Elvira;  I  have  a  spirit  of  divination;  and  this 
place  is  accursed.  The  landlord  has  been  discour 
teous,  the  Commissary  will  be  brutal,  the  audience 
will  be  sordid  and  uproarious,  and  you  will  take  a 
cold  upon  your  throat.  We  have  been  besotted 
enough  to  come;  the  die  is  cast  —  it  will  be  a 
second  Sedan." 

Sedan  was  a  town  hateful  to  the  Berthelinis,  not 


NEW    ARABIAN    NIGHTS    387 

only  from  patriotism  (for  they  were  French,  and 
answered  after  the  flesh  to  the  somewhat  homely 
name  of  Duval),  but  because  it  had  been  the  scene 
of  their  most  sad  reverses.  In  that  place  they  had 
lain  three  weeks  in  pawn  for  their  hotel  bill,  and 
had  it  not  been  for  a  surprising  stroke  of  fortune 
they  might  have  been  lying  there  in  pawn  until 
this  day.  To  mention  the  name  of  Sedan  was  for 
the  Berthelinis  to  dip  the  brush  in  earthquake  and 
eclipse.  Count  Almaviva  slouched  his  hat  with  a 
gesture  expressive  of  despair,  and  even  Elvira  felt 
as  if  ill-fortune  had  been  personally  invoked. 

"  Let  us  ask  for  breakfast,"  said  she,  with  a 
woman's  tact. 

The  Commissary  of  Police  of  Castel-le-Gachis 
was  a  large  red  Commissary,  pimpled,  and  subject 
to  a  strong  cutaneous  transpiration.  I  have  re 
peated  the  name  of  his  office  because  he  was  so 
very  much  more  a  Commissary  than  a  man.  The 
spirit  of  his  dignity  had  entered  into  him.  He 
carried  his  corporation  as  if  it  were  something 
official.  Whenever  he  insulted  a  common  citizen 
it  seemed  to  him  as  if  he  were  adroitly  flattering 
the  Government  by  a  side  wind;  in  default  of 
dignity  he  was  brutal  from  an  over-weening  sense 
of  duty.  His  office  was  a  den,  whence  passers-by 
could  hear  rude  accents  laying  down,  not  the  law, 
but  the  good  pleasure  of  the  Commissary. 

Six  several  times  in  the  course  of  the  day  did 
M.  Berthelini  hurry  thither  in  quest  of  the  requisite 
permission  for  his  evening's  entertainment;  six 
several  times  he  found  the  official  was  abroad. 


388     NEW    ARABIAN    NIGHTS 

Leon  Berthelini  began  to  grow  quite  a  familiar 
figure  in  the  streets  of  Castel-le-Gachis ;  he  be 
came  a  local  celebrity,  and  was  pointed  out  as  "  the 
man  who  was  looking  for  the  Commissary."  Idle 
children  attached  themselves  to  his  footsteps,  and 
trotted  after  him  back  and  forward  between  the 
hotel  and  the  office.  Leon  might  try  as  he  liked; 
he  might  roll  cigarettes,  he  might  straddle,  he 
might  cock  his  hat  at  a  dozen  different  jaunty  in 
clinations —  the  part  of  Almaviva  was,  under  the 
circumstances,  difficult  to  play. 

As  he  passed  the  market-place  upon  the  seventh 
excursion  the  Commissary  was  pointed  out  to  him, 
where  he  stood,  with  his  waistcoat  unbuttoned  and 
his  hands  behind  his  back,  to  superintend  the  sale 
and  measurement  of  butter.  Berthelini  threaded 
his  way  through  the  market  stalls  and  baskets, 
and  accosted  the  dignitary  with  a  bow  which  was 
a  triumph  of  the  histrionic  art. 

"  I  have  the  honour,"  he  asked,  "  of  meeting 
M.  le  Commissaire?  " 

The  Commissary  was  affected  by  the  nobility  of 
his  address.  He  excelled  Leon  in  the  depth  if  not 
in  the  airy  grace  of  his  salutation. 

"  The  honour,"  said  he,  "  is  mine!  " 

"  I  am,"  continued  the  strolling-player,  "  I  am, 
sir,  an  artist,  and  I  have  permitted  myself  to  inter 
rupt  you  on  an  affair  of  business.  To-night  I  give 
a  trifling  musical  entertainment  at  the  Cafe  of  the 
Triumphs  of  the  Plough  —  permit  me  to  offer  you 
this  little  programme  —  and  I  have  come  to  ask 
you  for  the  necessary  authorisation." 


NEW    ARABIAN    NIGHTS     389 

At  the  word  "  artist,"  the  Commissary  had  re 
placed  his  hat  with  the  air  of  a  person  who,  having 
condescended  too  far,  should  suddenly  remember 
the  duties  of  his  rank. 

"  Go,  go,"  said  he,  "  I  am  busy  —  I  am  measur 
ing  butter." 

"  Heathen  Jew!  "  thought  Leon.  "  Permit  me, 
sir,"  he  resumed,  aloud.  "  I  have  gone  six  times 
already " 

"  Put  up  your  bills  if  you  choose,"  interrupted 
the  Commissary.  "  In  an  hour  or  so  I  will  ex 
amine  your  papers  at  the  office.  But  now  go;  I 
am  busy." 

"  Measuring  butter?  "  thought  Berthelini.  "  Oh, 
France,  and  it  is  for  this  that  we  made  '93 ! " 

The  preparations  were  soon  made;  the  bills 
posted,  programmes  laid  on  the  dinner-table  of 
every  hotel  in  the  town,  and  a  stage  erected  at 
one  end  of  the  Cafe  of  the  Triumphs  of  the  Plough ; 
but  when  Leon  returned  to  the  office,  the  Commis 
sary  was  once  more  abroad. 

"  He  is  like  Madame  Benoiton,"  thought  Leon. 
"Fichu  Commissaire ! " 

And  just  then  he  met  the  man  face  to  face. 

"  Here,  sir,"  said  he,  "  are  my  papers.  Will  you 
be  pleased  to  verify  ?  " 

But  the  Commissary  was  now  intent  upon  dinner. 

"No  use,"  he  replied,  "no  use;  I  am  busy;  I 
am  quite  satisfied.  Give  your  entertainment." 

And  he  hurried  on. 

"  Fichu  Commissaire !  "  thought  Leon. 


CHAPTER   II 

THE  audience  was  pretty  large;  and  the 
proprietor  of  the  cafe  made  a  good  thing 
of  it  in  beer.  But  the  Berthelinis  exerted 
themselves  in  vain. 

Leon  was  radiant  in  velveteen ;  he  had  a  rakish 
way  of  smoking  a  cigarette  between  his  songs  that 
was  worth  money  in  itself;  he  underlined  his  comic 
points,  so  that  the  dullest  numskull  in  Castel-le- 
Gachis  had  a  notion  when  to  laugh ;  and  he  handled 
his  guitar  in  a  manner  worthy  of  himself.  Indeed 
his  play  with  that  instrument  was  as  good  as  a 
whole  romantic  drama ;  it  was  so  dashing,  so  florid, 
and  so  cavalier. 

Elvira,  on  the  other  hand,  sang  her  patriotic  and 
romantic  songs  with  more  than  usual  expression; 
her  voice  had  charm  and  plangency;  and  as  Leon 
looked  at  her,  in  her  low-bodied  maroon  dress,  with 
her  arms  bare  to  the  shoulder,  and  a  red  flower  set 
provocatively  in  her  corset,  he  repeated  to  himself 
for  the  many  hundredth  time  that  she  was  one  of 
the  loveliest  creatures  in  the  world  of  women. 

Alas !  when  she  went  round  with  the  tambourine, 
the  golden  youth  of  Castel-le-Gachis  turned  from 
her  coldly.  Here  and  there  a  single  halfpenny  was 
forthcoming;  the  net  result  of  a  collection  never 
exceeded  half  a  franc:  and  the  Maire  himself, 


NEW    ARABIAN    NIGHTS     391 

after  seven  different  applications,  had  contributed 
exactly  twopence.  A  certain  chill  began  to  settle 
upon  the  artists  themselves;  it  seemed  as  if  they 
were  singing  to  slugs;  Apollo  himself  might  have 
lost  heart  with  such  an  audience.  The  Berthelinis 
struggled  against  the  impression;  they  put  their 
back  into  their  work,  they  sang  loud  and  louder, 
the  guitar  twanged  like  a  living  thing ;  and  at  last 
Leon  arose  in  his  might,  and  burst  with  inimitable 
conviction  into  his  great  song,  "  Y  a  des  honnetes 
gens  par  tout! "  Never  had  he  given  more  proof 
of  his  artistic  mastery;  it  was  his  intimate,  inde 
feasible  conviction  that  Castel-le-Gachis  formed  an 
exception  to  the  law  he  was  now  lyrically  proclaim 
ing,  and  was  peopled  exclusively  by  thieves  and  bul 
lies;  and  yet,  as  I  say,  he  flung  it  d,°wn  like  a 
challenge,  he  trolled  it  forth  like  an  article  of  faith ; 
and  his  face  so  beamed  the  while  that  you  would 
have  thought  he  must  make  converts  of  the  benches. 

He  was  at  the  top  of  his  register,  with  his  head 
thrown  back  and  his  mouth  open,  when  the  door 
was  thrown  violently  open,  and  a  pair  of  new 
comers  marched  noisily  into  the  cafe.  It  was  the 
Commissary  followed  by  the  Garde  Champetre. 

The  undaunted  Berthelini  still  continued  to  pro 
claim,  "  Y  a  des  honnetes  gens  partout !  "  But  now 
the  sentiment  produced  an  audible  titter  among  the 
audience.  Berthelini  wondered  why;  he  did  not 
know  the  antecedents  of  the  Garde  Champetre ;  he 
had  never  heard  of  a  little  story  about  postage 
stamps.  But  the  public  knew  all  about  the  postage 
stamps,  and  enjoyed  the  coincidence  hugely. 


392     NEW    ARABIAN    NIGHTS' 

The  Commissary  planted  himself  upon  a  vacant 
chair  with  somewhat  the  air  of  Cromwell  visiting 
the  Rump,  and  spoke  in  occasional  whispers  to  the 
Garde  Champetre,  who  remained  respectfully  stand 
ing  at  his  back.  The  eyes  of  both  were  directed 
upon  Berthelini,  who  persisted  in  his  statement. 

'  Y  a  des  honnetes  gens  partout,"  he  was  just 
chanting  for  the  twentieth  time;  when  up  got  the 
Commissary  upon  his  feet  and  waved  brutally  to 
the  singer  with  his  cane. 

"  Is  it  me  you  want  ?  "  inquired  Leon,  stopping 
in  his  song. 

"  It  is  you,"  replied  the  potentate. 

"  Fichu  Commissaire ! "  thought  Leon,  and  he 
descended  from  the  stage  and  made  his  way  to  the 
functionary. 

"  How  does  it  happen,  sir,"  said  the  Commis 
sary,  swelling  in  person,  "  that  I  find  you  mounte 
banking  in  a  public  cafe  without  my  permission  ?  " 

"  Without?  "  cried  the  indignant  Leon.  "  Per 
mit  me  to  remind  you  - 

"  Come,  come,  sir !  "  said  the  Commissary,  "  I 
desire  no  explanations." 

"I  care  nothing  about  what  you  desire,"  returned 
the  singer.  "  I  choose  to  give  them,  and  I  will  not 
be  gagged.  I  am  an  artist,  sir,  a  distinction  that 
you  cannot  comprehend.  I  received  your  permis 
sion  and  stand  here  upon  the  strength  of  it;  inter 
fere  with  me  who  dare." 

"  You  have  not  got  my  signature,  I  tell  you," 
cried  the  Commissary.  "  Show  me  my  signature! 
Where  is  my  signature  ?  " 


NEW    ARABIAN    NIGHTS     393 

That  was  just  the  question;  where  was  his  sig 
nature?  Leon  recognised  that  he  was  in  a  hole; 
but  his  spirit  rose  with  the  occasion,  and  he  blus 
tered  nobly,  tossing  back  his  curls.  The  Commis 
sary  played  up  to  him  in  the  character  of  tyrant; 
and  as  the  one  leaned  farther  forward,  the  other 
leaned  farther  back  —  majesty  confronting  fury. 
The  audience  had  transferred  their  attention  to 
this  new  performance,  and  listened  with  that  silent 
gravity  common  to  all  Frenchmen  in  the  neigh 
bourhood  of  the  police.  Elvira  had  sat  down,  she 
was  used  to  these  distractions,  and  it  was  rather 
melancholy  than  fear  that  now  oppressed  her. 

"  Another  word/'  cried  the  Commissary,  "  and 
I  arrest  you." 

"  Arrest  me !  "  shouted  Leon.     "  I  defy  you !  " 

"  I  am  the  Commissary  of  Police,"  said  the 
official. 

Leon  commanded  his  feelings,  and  replied,  with 
great  delicacy  of  innuendo: 

"  So  it  would  appear." 

The  point  was  too  refined  for  Castel-le-Gachis ; 
it  did  not  raise  a  smile;  and  as  for  the  Commis 
sary,  he  simply  bade  the  singer  follow  him  to  his 
office,  and  directed  his  proud  footsteps  towards  the 
door.  There  was  nothing  for  it  but  to  obey.  Leon 
did  so  with  a  proper  pantomime  of  indifference, 
but  it  was  a  leek  to  eat,  and  there  was  no  deny 
ing  it. 

The  Maire  had  slipped  out  and  was  already  wait 
ing  at  the  Commissary's  door.  Now  the  Maire,  in 
France,  is  the  refuge  of  the  oppressed.  He  stands 


394     NEW    ARABIAN    NIGHTS 

between  his  people  and  the  boisterous  rigours  of 
the  Police.  He  can  sometimes  understand  what 
is  said  to  him ;  he  is  not  always  puffed  up  beyond 
measure  by  his  dignity.  'T  is  a  thing  worth  the 
knowledge  of  travellers.  When  all  seems  over, 
and  a  man  has  made  up  his  mind  to  injustice,  he 
has  still,  like  the  heroes  of  romance,  a  little  bugle 
at  his  belt  whereon  to  blow;  and  the  Maire,  a 
comfortable  deus  ex  machina,  may  still  descend  to 
deliver  him  from  the  minions  of  the  law.  The 
Maire  of  Castel-le-Gachis,  although  inaccessible  to 
the  charms  of  music  as  retailed  by  the  Berthelinis, 
had  no  hesitation  whatever  as  to  the  rights  of  the 
matter.  He  instantly  fell  foul  of  the  Commissary 
in  very  high  terms,  and  the  Commissary,  pricked 
by  this  humiliation,  accepted  battle  on  the  point  of 
fact.  The  argument  lasted  some  little  while  with 
varying  success,  until  at  length  victory  inclined  so 
plainly  to  the  Commissary's  side  that  the  Maire 
was  fain  to  re-assert  himself  by  an  exercise  of 
authority.  He  had  been  out-argued,  but  he  was 
still  the  Maire.  And  so,  turning  from  his  inter 
locutor,  he  briefly  but  kindly  recommended  Leon 
to  go  back  instanter  to  his  concert. 

"  It  is  already  growing  late,"  he  added. 

Leon  did  not  wait  to  be  told  twice.  He  re 
turned  to  the  Cafe  of  the  Triumphs  of  the  Plough 
with  all  expedition.  Alas !  the  audience  had  melted 
away  during  his  absence;  Elvira  was  sitting  in  a 
very  disconsolate  attitude  on  the  guitar-box;  she 
had  watched  the  company  dispersing  by  twos  and 
threes,  and  the  prolonged  spectacle  had  somewhat 


NEW    ARABIAN    NIGHTS     395 

overwhelmed  her  spirits.  Each  man,  she  reflected, 
retired  with  a  certain  proportion  of  her  earnings 
in  his  pockets,  and  she  saw  to-night's  board  and 
to-morrow's  railway  expenses,  and  finally  even 
to-morrow's  dinner,  walk  one  after  another  out 
of  the  cafe  door  and  disappear  into  the  night. 

"  What  was  it  ?  "  she  asked,  languidly. 

But  Leon  did  not  answer.  He  was  looking 
round  him  on  the  scene  of  defeat.  Scarce  a  score 
of  listeners  remained,  and  these  of  the  least  prom 
ising  sort.  The  minute  hand  of  the  clock  was 
already  climbing  upward  towards  eleven. 

"  It 's  a  lost  battle,"  said  he,  and  then  taking  up 
the  money-box  he  turned  it  out.  "  Three  francs 
seventy-five!  "  he  cried,  "  as  against  four  of  board 
and  six  of  railway  fares,  and  no  time  for  the 
tombola!  Elvira,  this  is  Waterloo."  And  he  sat 
down  and  passed  both  hands  desperately  among 
his  curls.  "  O  Fichu  Commissaire !  "  he  cried, 
"  Fichu  Commissaire !  " 

"  Let  us  get  the  things  together  and  be  off," 
returned  Elvira.  "  We  might  try  another  song, 
but  there  is  not  six  halfpence  in  the  room." 

"Six  halfpence?"  cried  Leon,  "six  hundred 
thousand  devils!  There  is  not  a  human  creature 
in  the  town  —  nothing  but  pigs  and  dogs  and 
commissaries !  Pray  heaven,  we  get  safe  to  bed !  " 

"  Don't  imagine  things !  "  exclaimed  Elvira,  with 
a  shudder. 

And  with  that  they  set  to  work  on  their  prepa 
rations.  The  tobacco- jar,  the  cigarette-holder,  the 
three  papers  of  shirt-studs,  which  were  to  have  been 


396     NEW    ARABIAN    NIGHTS 

the  prizes  of  the  tombola  had  the  tombola  come  off, 
were  made  into  a  bundle  with  the  music ;  the  guitar 
was  stowed  into  the  fat  guitar-case;  and  Elvira 
having  thrown  a  thin  shawl  about  her  neck  and 
shoulders,  the  pair  issued  from  the  cafe  and  set  of? 
for  the  Black  Head. 

As  they  crossed  the  market-place  the  church  bell 
rang  out  eleven.  It  was  a  dark,  mild  night,  and 
there  was  no  one  in  the  streets. 

"  It  is  all  very  fine,"  said  Leon :  "  but  I  have  a 
presentiment.  The  night  is  not  yet  done." 


CHAPTER   III 

THE  Black  Head  presented  not  a  single 
chink  of  light  upon  the  street,  and  the 
carriage  gate  was  closed. 

"  This  is  unprecedented,"  observed  Leon.  "  An 
inn  closed  by  five  minutes  after  eleven !  And  there 
were  several  commercial  travellers  in  the  cafe  up 
to  a  late  hour.  Elvira,  my  heart  misgives  me.  Let 
us  ring  the  bell." 

The  bell  had  a  potent  note;  and  being  swung 
under  the  arch  it  filled  the  house  from  top  to 
bottom  with  surly,  clanging  reverberations.  The 
sound  accentuated  the  conventual  appearance  of 
the  building;  a  wintry  sentiment,  a  thought  of 
prayer  and  mortification,  took  hold  upon  Elvira's 
mind;  and  as  for  Leon,  he  seemed  to  be  reading 
the  stage  directions  for  a  lugubrious  fifth  act. 

"  This  is  your  fault,"  said  Elvira;  "  this  is  what 
comes  of  fancying  things !  " 

Again  Leon  pulled  the  bell-rope;  again  the  sol 
emn  tocsin  awoke  the  echoes  of  the  inn;  and  ere 
they  had  died  away,  a  light  glimmered  in  the  car 
riage  entrance,  and  a  powerful  voice  was  heard 
upraised  and  tremulous  with  wrath. 

"  What 's  all  this?  "  cried  the  tragic  host  through 
the  spars  of  the  gate.  "  Hard  upon  twelve,  and 
you  come  clamouring  like  Prussians  at  the  door  of 


398     NEW    ARABIAN    NIGHTS 

a  respectable  hotel  ?  Oh !  "  he  cried,  "  I  know  you 
now !  Common  singers !  People  in  trouble  with 
the  police!  And  you  present  yourselves  at  mid 
night  like  lords  and  ladies  ?  Be  off  with  you !  " 

"  You  will  permit  me  to  remind  you,"  said 
Leon,  in  thrilling  tones,  "  that  I  am  a  guest  in 
your  house,  that  I  am  properly  inscribed,  and  that 
I  have  deposited  baggage  to  the  value  of  four 
hundred  francs." 

"  You  cannot  get  in  at  this  hour,"  returned  the 
man.  "  This  is  no  thieves'  tavern,  for  mohocks 
and  night  rakes  and  organ-grinders." 

"  Brute !  "  cried  Elvira,  for  the  organ-grinders 
touched  her  home. 

"  Then  I  demand  my  baggage,"  said  Leon,  with 
unabated  dignity. 

"  I  know  nothing  of  your  baggage,"  replied  the 
landlord. 

"  You  detain  my  baggage  ?  You  dare  to  detain 
my  baggage  ?  "  cried  the  singer. 

"Who  are  you?"  returned  the  landlord.  "It 
is  dark  —  I  cannot  recognise  you." 

"  Very  well,  then  —  you  detain  my  baggage," 
concluded  Leon.  "  You  shall  smart  for  this.  I 
will  weary  out  your  life  with  persecutions;  I  will 
drag  you  from  court  to  court;  if  there  is  justice 
to  be  had  in  France,  it  shall  be  rendered  between 
you  and  me.  And  I  will  make  you  a  by-word  — 
I  will  put  you  in  a  song  —  a  scurrilous  song  — 
an  indecent  song  —  a  popular  song  —  which  the 
boys  shall  sing  to  you  in  the  street,  and  come  and 
howl  through  these  spars  at  midnight !  " 


NEW    ARABIAN    NIGHTS    399 

He  had  gone  on  raising  his  voice  at  every 
phrase,  for  all  the  while  the  landlord  was  very 
placidly  retiring;  and  now,  when  the  last  glimmer 
of  light  had  vanished  from  the  arch,  and  the  last 
footstep  died  away  in  the  interior,  Leon  turned 
to  his  wife  with  a  heroic  countenance. 

"  Elvira,"  said  he,  "  I  have  now  a  duty  in  life. 
I  shall  destroy  that  man  as  Eugene  Sue  destroyed 
the  concierge.  Let  us  come  at  once  to  the  Gen 
darmerie  and  begin  our  vengeance." 

He  picked  up  the  guitar-case,  which  had  been 
propped  against  the  wall,  and  they  set  forth 
through  the  silent  and  ill-lighted  town  with  burn 
ing  hearts. 

The  Gendarmerie  was  concealed  beside  the  tele 
graph  office  at  the  bottom  of  a  vast  court,  which 
was  partly  laid  out  in  gardens;  and  here  all  the 
shepherds  of  the  public  lay  locked  in  grateful  sleep. 
It  took  a  deal  of  knocking  to  waken  one;  and  he, 
when  he  came  at  last  to  the  door,  could  find  no 
other  remark  but  that  "  it  was  none  of  his  busi 
ness."  Leon  reasoned  with  him,  threatened  him, 
besought  him ;  here,  he  said,  was  Madame  Berthe- 
lini  in  evening  dress  —  a  delicate  woman  —  in  an 
interesting  condition  —  the  last  was  thrown  in,  I 
fancy,  for  effect;  and  to  all  this  the  man-at-arms 
made  the  same  answer: 

"  It  is  none  of  my  business,"  said  he. 

"  Very  well,"  said  Leon,  "  then  we  shall  go  to 
the  Commissary."  Thither  they  went;  the  office 
was  closed  and  dark;  but  the  house  was  close  by, 
and  Leon  was  soon  swinging  the  bell  like  a 


400     NEW    ARABIAN    NIGHTS 

madman.  The  Commissary's  wife  appeared  at  a 
window.  She  was  a  thread-paper  creature,  and 
informed  them  that  the  Commissary  had  not  yet 
come  home. 

"  Is  he  at  the  Maire's  ?  "  demanded  Leon. 

She  thought  that  was  not  unlikely. 

"Where  is  the  Maire's  house?"  he  asked. 

And  she  gave  him  some  rather  vague  informa 
tion  on  that  point. 

"  Stay  you  here,  Elvira,"  said  Leon,  "  lest  I 
should  miss  him  by  the  way.  If,  when  I  return, 
I  find  you  here  no  longer,  I  shall  follow  at  once 
to  the  Black  Head." 

And  he  set  out  to  find  the  Maire's.  It  took  him 
some  ten  minutes  wandering  among  blind  lanes,  and 
when  he  arrived  it  was  already  half  an  hour  past 
midnight.  A  long  white  garden  wall  overhung  by 
some  thick  chestnuts,  a  door  with  a  letter-box,  and 
an  iron  bell-pull,  that  was  all  that  could  be  seen  of 
the  Maire's  domicile.  Leon  took  the  bell-pull  in 
both  hands,  and  danced  furiously  upon  the  side 
walk.  The  bell  itself  was  just  upon  the  other  side 
of  the  wall,  it  responded  to  his  activity,  and  scattered 
an  alarming  clangour  far  and  wide  into  the  night. 

A  window  was  thrown  open  in  a  house  across 
the  street,  and  a  voice  inquired  the  cause  of  this 
untimely  uproar. 

"  I  wish  the  Maire,"  said  Leon. 

"  He  has  been  in  bed  this  hour,"  returned  the 
voice. 

"  He  must  get  up  again,"  retorted  Leon,  and  he 
was  for  tackling  the  bell-pull  once  more. 


NEW    ARABIAN    NIGHTS     401 

"  You  will  never  make  him  hear,"  responded  the 
voice.  "  The  garden  is  of  great  extent,  the  house 
is  at  the  farther  end,  and  both  the  Maire  and  his 
housekeeper  are  deaf." 

"  Aha !  "  said  Leon,  pausing.  "  The  Maire  is 
deaf,  is  he?  That  explains."  And  he  thought  of 
the  evening's  concert  with  a  momentary  feeling 
of  relief.  "  Ah !  "  he  continued,  "  and  so  the  Maire 
is  deaf,  and  the  garden  vast,  and  the  house  at  the 
far  end?" 

"  And  you  might  ring  all  night,"  added  the 
voice,  "  and  be  none  the  better  for  it.  You  would 
only  keep  me  awake." 

"  Thank  you,  neighbour,"  replied  the  singer. 
"You  shall  sleep." 

And  he  made  off  again  at  his  best  pace  for  the 
Commissary's.  Elvira  was  still  walking  to  and 
fro  before  the  door. 

"  He  has  not  corne?  "  asked  Leon. 

"  Not  he,"  she  replied. 

"  Good,"  returned  Leon.  "  I  am  sure  our  man  's 
inside.  Let  me  see  the  guitar-case.  I  shall  lay  this 
siege  in  form,  Elvira;  I  am  angry;  I  am  indig 
nant;  I  am  truculently  inclined;  but  I  thank  my 
Maker  I  have  still  a  sense  of  fun.  The  unjust 
judge  shall  be  importuned  in  a  serenade,  Elvira. 
Set  him  up  —  and  set  him  up." 

He  had  the  case  opened  by  this  time,  struck  a 
few  chords,  and  fell  into  an  attitude  which  was 
irresistibly  Spanish. 

"  Now,"  he  continued,  "  feel  your  voice.  Are 
you  ready  ?  Follow  me !  " 

TOL,   III.  —  *6 


402     NEW    ARABIAN    NIGHTS 

The  guitar  twanged,  and  the  two  voices  up 
raised,  in  harmony  and  with  a  startling  loudness, 
the  chorus  of  a  song  of  old  Beranger's : 

"  Comwissaire  !  Commissaire ! 
Colin  bat  sa  menag&re." 

The  stones  of  Castel-le-Gachis  thrilled  at  this 
audacious  innovation.  Hitherto  had  the  night 
been  sacred  to  repose  and  nightcaps ;  and  now 
what  was  this?  Window  after  window  was 
opened;  matches  scratched,  and  candles  began  to 
flicker;  swollen  sleepy  faces  peered  forth  into  the 
starlight.  There  were  two  figures  before  the 
Commissary's  house,  each  bolt  upright,  with  head 
thrown  back  and  eyes  interrogating  the  starry 
heavens;  the  guitar  wailed,  shouted,  and  rever 
berated  like  half  an  orchestra;  and  the  voices, 
with  a  crisp  and  spirited  delivery,  hurled  the  ap 
propriate  burthen  at  the  Commissary's  window. 
All  the  echoes  repeated  the  functionary's  name. 
It  was  more  like  an  entr'acte  in  a  farce  of  Mo- 
liere's  than  a  passage  of  real  life  in  Castel-le- 
Gachis. 

The  Commissary,  if  he  was  not  the  first,  was 
not  the  last  of  the  neighbours  to  yield  to  the  in 
fluence  of  music,  and  furiously  throw  open  the 
window  of  his  bedroom.  He  was  beside  himself 
with  rage.  He  leaned  far  over  the  window-sill, 
raving  and  gesticulating;  the  tassel  of  his  white 
nightcap  danced  like  a  thing  of  life;  he  opened 
his  mouth  to  dimensions  hitherto  unprecedented, 
and  yet  his  voice,  instead  of  escaping  from  it  in 


NEW    ARABIAN    NIGHTS     403 

a  roar,  came  forth  shrill  and  choked  and  tottering. 
A  little  more  serenading,  and  it  was  clear  he  would 
be  better  acquainted  with  the  apoplexy. 

I  scorn  to  reproduce  his  language;  he  touched 
upon  too  many  serious  topics  by  the  way  for  a 
quiet  story-teller.  Although  he  was  known  for 
a  man  who  was  prompt  with  his  tongue,  and 
had  a  power  of  strong  expression  at  command,  he 
excelled  himself  so  remarkably  this  night,  that  one 
maiden  lady,  who  had  got  out  of  bed  like  the  rest 
to  hear  the  serenade,  was  obliged  to  shut  her 
window  at  the  second  clause.  Even  what  she  had 
heard  disquieted  her  conscience ;  and  next  day  she 
said  she  scarcely  reckoned  as  a  maiden  lady  any 
longer. 

Leon  tried  to  explain  his  predicament,  but  he 
received  nothing  but  threats  of  arrest  by  way  of 
answer. 

"If  I  come  down  to  you !  "  cried  the  Commissary. 

"Aye,"  said  Leon,  "do!" 

"  I  will  not !  "  cried  the  Commissary. 
*  You  dare  not!  "  answered  Leon. 

At  that  the  Commissary  closed  his  window. 

"  All  is  over,"  said  the  singer.  "  The  serenade 
was  perhaps  ill-judged.  These  boors  have  no  sense 
of  humour." 

"  Let  us  get  away  from  here,"  said  Elvira,  with 
a  shiver.  "  All  these  people  looking  —  it  is  so 
rude  and  so  brutal."  And  then  giving  way  once 
more  to  passion  — "  Brutes !  "  she  cried  aloud 
to  the  candle-lit  spectators  —  "  brutes !  brutes ! 
brutes  I" 


4o4     NEW    ARABIAN    NIGHTS 

"  Sauve  qui  pent,"  said  Leon.  "  You  have  done 
it  now ! " 

And  taking  the  guitar  in  one  hand  and  the  case 
in  the  other,  he  led  the  way  with  something  too 
precipitate  to  be  merely  called  precipitation  from 
the  scene  of  this  absurd  adventure. 


CHAPTER   IV 

TO  the  west  of  Castel-le-Gachis  four  rows 
of  venerable  lime-trees  formed,  in  this 
starry  night,  a  twilit  avenue  with  two 
side  aisles  of  pitch  darkness.  Here  and  there 
stone  benches  were  disposed  between  the  trunks. 
There  was  not  a  breath  of  wind;  a  heavy  atmos 
phere  of  perfume  hung  about  the  alleys ;  and  every 
leaf  stood  stock-still  upon  its  twig.  Hither,  after 
vainly  knocking  at  an  inn  or  two,  the  Berthelinis 
came  at  length  to  pass  the  night.  After  an  ami 
able  contention,  Leon  insisted  on  giving  his  coat 
to  Elvira,  and  they  sat  down  together  on  the  first 
bench  in  silence.  Leon  made  a  cigarette,  which  he 
smoked  to  an  end,  looking  up  into  the  trees,  and, 
beyond  them,  at  the  constellations,  of  which  he 
tried  vainly  to  recall  the  names.  The  silence  was 
broken  by  the  church  bell;  it  rang  the  four  quar 
ters  on  a  light  and  tinkling  measure;  then  fol 
lowed  a  single  deep  stroke  that  died  slowly  away 
with  a  thrill;  and  stillness  resumed  its  empire. 

"  One,"  said  Leon.  "  Four  hours  till  daylight. 
It  is  warm;  it  is  starry;  I  have  matches  and 
tobacco.  Do  not  let  us  exaggerate,  Elvira  —  the 
experience  is  positively  charming.  I  feel  a  glow 
within  me;  I  am  born  again.  This  is  the  poetry 
of  life.  Think  of  Cooper's  novels,  my  dear." 


406     NEW    ARABIAN    NIGHTS 

"  Leon,"  she  said,  fiercely,  "  how  can  you  talk 
such  wicked,  infamous  nonsense?  To  pass  all 
night  out  of  doors  —  it  is  like  a  nightmare !  We 
shall  die." 

'  You  suffer  yourself  to  be  led  away,"  he  re 
plied,  soothingly.  "  It  is  not  unpleasant  here ; 
only  you  brood.  Come,  now,  let  us  repeat  a  scene. 
Shall  we  try  Alceste  and  Celimene?  No?  Or  a 
passage  from  the  '  Two  Orphans  '  ?  Come,  now, 
it  will  occupy  your  mind;  I  will  play  up  to  you 
as  I  never  have  played  before;  I  feel  art  moving 
in  my  bones." 

"  Hold  your  tongue,"  she  cried,  "  or  you  will 
drive  me  mad!  Will  nothing  solemnise  you  — 
not  even  this  hideous  situation  ?  " 

"Oh,  hideous!"  objected  Leon.  "Hideous  is 
not  the  word.  Why,  where  would  you  be? 
*  Dites,  la  jeune  belle,  ou  voulez-vous  aller?' 
he  carolled.  "  Well,  now,"  he  went  on,  opening 
the  guitar-case,  "  there  's  another  idea  for  you  — 
sing.  Sing  '  Dites,  la  jeune  belle ! '  It  will  com 
pose  your  spirits,  Elvira,  I  am  sure." 

And  without  waiting  an  answer  he  began  to 
strum  the  symphony.  The  first  chords  awoke  a 
young  man  who  was  lying  asleep  upon  a  neigh 
bouring  bench. 

"Hullo!"  cried  the  young  man,  "who  are 
you?" 

"  Under  which  king,  Bezonian?  "  declaimed  the 
artist.  "  Speak  or  die !  " 

Or  if  it  was  not  exactly  that,  it  was  something 
to  much  the  same  purpose  from  a  French  tragedy. 


NEW   ARABIAN    NIGHTS    407 

The  young  man  drew  near  in  the  twilight.  He 
was  a  tall,  powerful,  gentlemanly  fellow,  with  a 
somewhat  puffy  face,  dressed  in  a  grey  tweed  suit, 
with  a  deer-stalker  hat  of  the  same  material;  and 
as  he  now  came  forward  he  carried  a  knapsack 
slung  upon  one  arm. 

"Are  you  camping  out  here,  too?"  he  asked, 
with  a  strong  English  accent.  "  I  'm  not  sorry 
for  company." 

Leon  explained  their  misadventure;  and  the 
other  told  them  that  he  was  a  Cambridge  under 
graduate  on  a  walking  tour,  that  he  had  run  short 
of  money,  could  no  longer  pay  for  his  night's 
lodging,  had  already  been  camping  out  for  two 
nights,  and  feared  he  should  require  to  continue 
the  same  manoeuvre  for  at  least  two  nights  more. 

"  Luckily,  it 's  jolly  weather,"  he  concluded. 

"  You  hear  that,  Elvira,"  said  Leon.  "  Madame 
Berthelini,"  he  went  on,  "  is  ridiculously  affected 
by  this  trifling  occurrence.  For  my  part,  I  find 
it  romantic  and  far  from  uncomfortable;  or  at 
least,"  he  added,  shifting  on  the  stone  bench, 
"  not  quite  so  uncomfortable  as  might  have  been 
expected.  But  pray  be  seated." 

'  Yes,"  returned  the  undergraduate,  sitting 
down,  "  it 's  rather  nice  than  otherwise  when 
once  you're  used  to  it;  only  it's  devilish  diffi 
cult  to  get  washed.  I  like  the  fresh  air  and  these 
stars  and  things." 

"  Aha !  "  said  Leon,  "  Monsieur  is  an  artist." 

"  An  artist  ?  "  returned  the  other,  with  a  blank 
stare.  "  Not  if  I  know,  it !  " 


4o8     NEW    ARABIAN    NIGHTS 

"  Pardon  me,"  said  the  actor.  "  What  you  said 
this  moment  about  the  orbs  of  heaven " 

"  Oh,  nonsense !  "  cried  the  Englishman.  "  A 
fellow  may  admire  the  stars  and  be  anything  he 
likes." 

"  You  have  an  artist's  nature,  however,  Mr. 

I  beg  your  pardon;  may  I,  without  indiscretion, 
inquire  your  name?"  asked  Leon. 

"  My  name  is  Stubbs,"  replied  the  Englishman. 

"  I  thank  you,"  returned  Leon.  "  Mine  is 
Berthelini  —  Leon  Berthelini,  ex-artist  of  the  thea 
tres  of  Montrouge,  Belleville,  and  Montmartre. 
Humble  as  you  see  me,  I  have  created  with 
applause  more  than  one  important  role.  The 
Press  were  unanimous  in  praise  of  my  Howling 
Devil  of  the  Mountains,  in  the  piece  of  the  same 
name.  Madame,  whom  I  now  present  to  you, 
is  herself  an  artist,  and  I  must  not  omit  to 
state,  a  better  artist  than  her  husband.  She 
also  is  a  creator;  she  created  nearly  twenty  suc 
cessful  songs  at  one  of  the  principal  Parisian 
music-halls.  But,  to  continue,  I  was  saying  you 
had  an  artist's  nature,  Monsieur  Stubbs,  and  you 
must  permit  me  to  be  a  judge  in  such  a  ques 
tion.  I  trust  you  will  not  falsify  your  instincts; 
let  me  beseech  you  to  follow  the  career  of  an 
artist." 

"  Thank  you,"  returned  Stubbs,  with  a  chuckle. 
"  I  'm  going  to  be  a  banker." 

"  No,"  said  Leon,  "  do  not  say  so.  Not  that 
A  man  "with  such  a  nature  as  yours  should  not 
derogate  so  far.  What  are  a  few  privations  here 


NEW    ARABIAN    NIGHTS     409 

and  there,  so  long  as  you  are  working  for  a  high 
and  noble  goal?  " 

"This  fellow's  mad/'  thought  Stubbs;  "but 
the  woman  's  rather  pretty,  and  he  's  not  bad  fun 
for  himself,  if  you  come  to  that."  What  he  said 
was  different.  "  I  thought  you  said  you  were  an 
actor?" 

"  I  certainly  did  so,"  replied  Leon.  "  I  am  one, 
or,  alas!  I  was." 

"  And  so  you  want  me  to  be  an  actor,  do 
you  ?  "  continued  the  undergraduate.  "  Why,  man, 
I  could  never  so  much  as  learn  the  stuff;  my 
memory's  like  a  sieve;  and  as  for  acting,  I've 
no  more  idea  than  a  cat." 

"  The  stage  is  not  the  only  course,"  said  Leon. 
"  Be  a  sculptor,  be  a  dancer,  be  a  poet  .or  a  nov 
elist;  follow  your  heart,  in  short,  and  do  some 
thorough  work  before  you  die." 

"  And  do  you  call  these  things  art?  "  inquired 
Stubbs. 

"  Why,  certainly!  "  returned  Leon.  "  Are  they 
not  all  branches  ?  " 

"Oh!  I  didn't  know,"  replied  the  English 
man.  "  I  thought  an  artist  meant  a  fellow  who 
painted." 

The  singer  stared  at  him  in  some  surprise. 

"It  is  the  difference  of  language,"  he  said  at 
last.  [f  This  Tower  of  Babel,  when  shall  we  have 
paid  for  it?  If  I  could  speak  English  you  would 
follow  me  more  readily." 

"  Between  you  and  me,  I  don't  believe  I  should/' 
replied  the  other.  "  You  seem  to  have  thought  a 


4io     NEW    ARABIAN    NIGHTS 

devil  of  a  lot  about  this  business.  For  my  part,  I 
admire  the  stars,  and  like  to  have  them  shining 
—  it 's  so  cheery  —  but  hang  me  if  I  had  an  idea 
it  had  anything  to  do  with  art !  It 's  not  in  my 
line,  you  see.  I  'm  not  intellectual ;  I  have  no 
end  of  trouble  to  scrape  through  my  exams.,  I 
can  tell  you !  But  I  'm  not  a  bad  sort  at  bottom," 
he  added,  seeing  his  interlocutor  looked  distressed 
even  in  the  dim  starshine,  "  and  I  rather  like  the 
play,  and  music,  and  guitars,  and  things." 

Leon  had  a  perception  that  the  understanding 
was  incomplete.  He  changed  the  subject. 

"And  so  you  travel  on  foot?"  he  continued. 
"  How  romantic !  How  courageous !  And  how 
are  you  pleased  with  my  land?  How  does  the 
scenery  affect  you  among  these  wild  hills  of 
ours?" 

"  Well,  the  fact  is,"  began  Stubbs  —  he  was 
about  to  say  that  he  did  n't  care  for  scenery,  which 
was  not  at  all  true,  being,  on  the  contrary,  only 
an  athletic  undergraduate  pretension ;  but  he  had 
begun  to  suspect  that  Berthelini  liked  a  different 
sort  of  meat,  and  substituted  something  else  — 
"The  fact  is,  I  think  it  jolly.  They  told  me  it 
was  no  good  up  here;  even  the  guide-book  said 
so;  but  I  don't  know  what  they  meant.  I  think 
it  is  deuced  pretty  —  upon  my  word,  I  do." 

At  this  moment,  in  the  most  unexpected  manner, 
Elvira  burst  into  tears. 

"  My  voice !  "  she  cried.  "  Leon,  if  I  stay  here 
longer  I  shall  lose  my  voice! " 

"  You   shall  not  stay  another  moment,"   cried 


NEW    ARABIAN    NIGHTS     411 

the  actor.  "  If  I  have  to  beat  in  a  door,  if  I  have 
to  burn  the  town,  I  shall  find  you  shelter." 

With  that,  he  replaced  the  guitar,  and  comfort 
ing  her  with  some  caresses,  drew  her  arm  through 
his. 

"  Monsieur  Stubbs,"  said  he,  taking  off  his  hat, 
"  the  reception  I  offer  you  is  rather  problematical ; 
but  let  me  beseech  you  to  give  us  the  pleasure  of 
your  society.  You  are  a  little  embarrassed  for 
the  moment;  you  must,  indeed,  permit  me  to 
advance  what  may  be  necessary.  I  ask  it  as  a 
favour;  we  must  not  part  so  soon  after  having 
met  so  strangely." 

"  Oh,  come,  you  know,"  said  Stubbs,  "  I  can't 

let  a  fellow  like  you "  And  there  he  paused, 

feeling  somehow  or  other  on  a  wrong  tack. 

"  I  do  not  wish  to  employ  menaces,"  continued 
Leon,  with  a  smile ;  "  but  if  you  refuse,  indeed  I 
shall  not  take  it  kindly." 

"  I  don't  quite  see  my  way  out  of  it,"  thought 
the  undergraduate;  and  then,  after  a  pause,  he 
said,  aloud  and  ungraciously  enough,  "  All  right. 
I  —  I  'm  very  much  obliged,  of  course."  And  he 
proceeded  to  follow  them,  thinking  in  his  heart, 
"  But  it 's  bad  form,  all  the  same,  to  force  an 
obligation  on  a  fellow," 


CHAPTER  V 

E)N  strode  ahead  as  if  he  knew  exactly 
where  he  was  going ;  the  sobs  of  Madame 
were  still  faintly  audible,  and  no  one  ut 
tered  a  word.  A  dog  barked  furiously  in  a  court 
yard  as  they  went  by ;  then  the  church  clock  struck 
two,  and  many  domestic  clocks  followed  or  pre 
ceded  it  in  piping  tones.  And  just  then  Berthelini 
spied  a  light.  It  burned  in  a  small  house  on  the 
outskirts  of  the  town,  and  thither  the  party  now 
directed  their  steps. 

"  It  is  always  a  chance,"  said  Leon. 

The  house  in  question  stood  back  from  the  street 
behind  an  open  space,  part  garden,  part  turnip  field ; 
and  several  outhouses  stood  forward  from  either 
wing  at  right  angles  to  the  front.  One  of  these 
had  recently  undergone  some  change.  An  enor 
mous  window,  looking  towards  the  north,  had  been 
effected  in  the  wall  and  roof,  and  Leon  began  to 
hope  it  was  a  studio. 

"  If  it 's  only  a  painter,"  he  said,  with  a  chuckle. 
"  ten  to  one  we  get  as  good  a  welcome  as  we 
want." 

"  I  thought  painters  were  principally  poor,"  said 
Stubbs. 

"  Ah,"  cried  Leon,  "  you  do  not  know  the  world 
as  I  do.  The  poorer  the  better  for  us." 


NEW    ARABIAN    NIGHTS     413 

And  the  trio  advanced  into  the  turnip  field. 

The  light  was  in  the  ground  floor ;  as  one  win 
dow  was  brightly  illuminated  and  two  others  more 
faintly,  it  might  be  supposed  that  there  was  a  single 
lamp  in  one  corner  of  a  large  apartment;  and  a 
certain  tremulousness  and  temporary  dwindling 
showed  that  a  live  fire  contributed  to  the  effect. 
The  sound  of  a  voice  now  became  audible;  and 
the  trespassers  paused  to  listen.  It  was  pitched  in 
a  high,  angry  key,  but  had  still  a  good,  full,  and 
masculine  note  in  it.  The  utterance  was  voluble, 
too  voluble  even  to  be  quite  distinct;  a  stream  of 
words,  rising  and  falling,  with  ever  and  again  a 
phrase  thrown  out  by  itself,  as  if  the  speaker  reck 
oned  on  its  virtue. 

Suddenly  another  voice  joined  in.  This  time  it 
was  a  woman's;  and  if  the  man  were  angry,  the 
woman  was  incensed  to  the  degree  of  fury.  There 
was  that  absolutely  blank  composure  known  to 
suffering  males;  that  colourless  unnatural  speech 
which  shows  a  spirit  accurately  balanced  between 
homicide  and  hysterics ;  the  tone  in  which  the  best 
of  women  sometimes  utter  words  worse  than  death 
to  those  most  dear  to  them.  If  Abstract  Bones- 
and-Sepulchre  were  to  be  endowed  with  the  gift 
of  speech,  thus,  and  not  otherwise,  would  it  dis 
course.  Leon  was  a  brave  man,  and  I  fear  he  was 
somewhat  sceptically  given  (he  had  been  educated 
in  a  Papistical  country),  but  the  habit  of  child 
hood  prevailed,  and  he  crossed  himself  devoutly. 
He  had  met  several  women  in  his  career.  It  was 
obvious  that  his  instinct  had  not  deceived  him,  for 


4i4     NEW    ARABIAN    NIGHTS 

the  male  voice  broke  forth  instantly  in  a  towering 
passion. 

The  undergraduate,  who  had  not  understood  the 
significance  of  the  woman's  contribution,  pricked 
up  his  ears  at  the  change  upon  the  man. 

"  There  's  going  to  be  a  free  fight,"  he  opined. 

There  was  another  retort  from  the  woman,  still 
calm  but  a  little  higher. 

"  Hysterics  ?  "  asked  Leon  of  his  wife.  "  Is  that 
the  stage  direction  ?  " 

"  How  should  I  know?  "  returned  Elvira,  some 
what  tartly. 

"  Oh,  woman,  woman !  "  said  Leon,  beginning  to 
open  the  guitar-case.  "  It  is  one  of  the  burdens  of 
my  life,  Monsieur  Stubbs ;  they  support  each  other ; 
they  always  pretend  there  is  no  system;  they  say 
it 's  nature.  Even  Madame  Berthelini,  who  is  a 
dramatic  artist !  " 

"  You  are  heartless,  Leon,"  said  Elvira ;  "  that 
woman  is  in  trouble." 

"  And  the  man,  my  angel  ?  "  inquired  Berthelini, 
passing  the  ribbon  of  his  guitar.  "  And  the  man, 
m' amour?  " 

"  He  is  a  man,"  she  answered. 

"You  hear  that?"  said  Leon  to  Stubbs.  "It 
is  not  too  late  for  you.  Mark  the  intonation. 
And  now,"  he  continued,  "  what  are  we  to  give 
them?" 

"  Are  you  going  to  sing?  "  asked  Stubbs. 

"  I  am  a  troubadour,"  replied  Leon.  "  I  claim 
a  welcome  by  and  for  my  art.  If  I  were  a  banker 
could  I  do  as  much?" 


NEW    ARABIAN    NIGHTS    4i£ 

"  Well,  you  would  n't  need,  you  know,"  an 
swered  the  undergraduate. 

"  Egad,"  said  Leon,  "  but  that 's  true.  Elvira, 
that  is  true." 

"  Of  course  it  is,"  she  replied.  "  Did  you  not 
know  it?" 

"  My  dear,"  answered  Leon,  impressively,  "  I 
know  nothing  but  what  is  agreeable.  Even  my 
knowledge  of  life  is  a  work  of  art  superiorly 
composed.  But  what  are  we  to  give  them?  It 
should  be  something  appropriate." 

Visions  of  "  Let  dogs  delight "  passed  through 
the  undergraduate's  mind;  but  it  occurred  to  him 
that  the  poetry  was  English  and  that  he  did  not 
know  the  air.  Hence  he  contributed  no  suggestion. 

"  Something  about  our  houselessness,"  said 
Elvira. 

"  I  have  it,"  cried  Leon.  And  he  broke  forth 
into  a  song  of  Pierre  Dupont's: 

"  Savez-vous  ou  gite 
Mai,  ce  joli  mois  ?  " 

Elvira  joined  in ;  so  did  Stubbs,  with  a  good  ear 
and  voice,  but  an  imperfect  acquaintance  with  the 
music.  Leon  and  the  guitar  were  equal  to  the  sit 
uation.  The  actor  dispensed  his  throat-notes  with 
prodigality  and  enthusiasm ;  and,  as  he  looked  up 
to  heaven  in  his  heroic  way,  tossing  the  black 
ringlets,  it  seemed  to  him  that  the  very  stars  con 
tributed  a  dumb  applause  to  his  efforts,  and  the 
universe  lent  him  its  silence  for  a  chorus.  That 
is  one  of  the  best  features  of  the  heavenly  bodies, 


4i6     NEW    ARABIAN    NIGHTS 

that  they  belong  to  everybody  in  particular;  and 
a  man  like  Leon,  a  chronic  Endymion  who  man 
aged  to  get  along  without  encouragement,  is  always 
the  world's  centre  for  himself. 

He  alone  —  and  it  is  to  be  noted,  he  was  the 
worst  singer  of  the  three  —  took  the  music  seri 
ously  to  heart,  and  judged  the  serenade  from  a 
high  artistic  point  of  view.  Elvira,  on  the  other 
hand,  was  preoccupied  about  their  reception;  and, 
as  for  Stubbs,  he  considered  the  whole  affair  in 
the  light  of  a  broad  joke. 

"  Know  you  the  lair  of  May,  the  lovely  month  ?  " 
went  the  three  voices  in  the  turnip  field. 

The  inhabitants  were  plainly  fluttered ;  the  light 
moved  to  and  fro,  strengthening  in  one  window, 
paling  in  another;  and  then  the  door  was  thrown 
open,  and  a  man  in  a  blouse  appeared  on  the 
threshold  carrying  a  lamp.  He  was  a  powerful 
young  fellow,  with  bewildered  hair  and  beard, 
wearing  his  neck  open;  his  blouse  was  stained 
with  oil-colours  in  a  harlequinesque  disorder;  and 
there  was  something  rural  in  the  droop  and  bag- 
giness  of  his  belted  trousers. 

From  immediately  behind  him,  and  indeed  over 
his  shoulder,  a  woman's  face  looked  out  into  the 
darkness ;  it  was  pale  and  a  little  weary,  although 
still  young;  it  wore  a  dwindling,  disappearing 
prettiness,  soon  to  be  quite  gone,  and  the  expres 
sion  was  both  gentle  and  sour,  and  reminded  one 
faintly  of  the  taste  of  certain  drugs.  For  all  that, 
it  was  not  a  face  to  dislike;  when  the  prettiness 
had  vanished,  it  seemed  as  if  a  certain  pale  beauty 


NEW    ARABIAN    NIGHTS     417 

might  step  in  to  take  its  place;  and  as  both  the 
mildness  and  the  asperity  were  characters  of  youth, 
it  might  be  hoped  that,  with  years,  both  would 
merge  into  a  constant,  brave,  and  not  unkindly 
temper. 

"  What  is  all  this?  "  cried  the  man. 


VOL.    III.  —  i 


CHAPTER  VI 

E)N  had  his  hat  in  his  hand  at  once.     He 
came  forward  with  his  customary  grace; 
it  was  a  moment  which  would  have  earned 
him  a  round  of  cheering  on  the  stage.    Elvira  and 
Stubbs   advanced   behind   him,    like   a   couple   of 
Admetus's  sheep  following  the  god  Apollo. 

"  Sir,"  said  Leon,  "  the  hour  is  unpardonably 
late,  and  our  little  serenade  has  the  air  of  an  im 
pertinence.  Believe  me,  sir,  it  is  an  appeal.  Mon 
sieur  is  an  artist,  I  perceive.  We  are  here  three 
artists  benighted  and  without  shelter,  one  a  woman 
—  a  delicate  woman  —  in  evening  dress  —  in  an 
interesting  situation.  This  will  not  fail  to  touch 
the  woman's  heart  of  Madame,  whom  I  perceive 
indistinctly  behind  Monsieur  her  husband,  and 
whose  face  speaks  eloquently  of  a  well-regulated 
mind.  Ah !  Monsieur,  Madame  —  one  generous 
movement,  and  you  make  three  people  happy! 
Two  or  three  hours  beside  your  fire  —  I  ask  it  of 
Monsieur  in  the  name  of  Art  —  I  ask  it  of  Madame 
by  the  sanctity  of  womanhood." 

The  two,  as  by  a  tacit  consent,  drew  back  from 
the  door. 

"  Come  in,"  said  the  man. 

"  Entrez,  Madame,"  said  the  woman. 


NEW    ARABIAN    NIGHTS     419 

The  door  opened  directly  upon  the  kitchen  of 
the  house,  which  was  to  all  appearance  the  only 
sitting-room.  The  furniture  was  both  plain  and 
scanty;  but  there  were  one  or  two  landscapes  on 
the  wall  handsomely  framed,  as  if  they  had  already 
visited  the  committee  rooms  of  an  exhibition  and 
been  thence  extruded.  Leon  walked  up  to  the 
pictures  and  represented  the  part  of  a  connoisseur 
before  each  in  turn,  with  his  usual  dramatic  in 
sight  and  force.  The  master  of  the  house,  as  if 
irresistibly  attracted,  followed  him  from  canvas  to 
canvas  with  the  lamp.  Elvira  was  led  directly  to 
the  fire,  where  she  proceeded  to  warm  herself, 
while  Stubbs  stood  in  the  middle  of  the  floor  and 
followed  the  proceedings  of  Leon  with  mild  aston 
ishment  in  his  eyes. 

"  You  should  see  them  by  daylight,"  said  the 
artist. 

"  I  promise  myself  that  pleasure,"  said  Leon. 
"  You  possess,  sir,  if  you  will  permit  me  an  ob 
servation,  the  art  of  composition  to  a  T." 

"  You  are  very  good,"  returned  the  other. 
"  But  should  you  not  draw  nearer  to  the  fire  ?  " 

"  With  all  my  heart,"  said  Leon. 

And  the  whole  party  soon  gathered  at  the  table 
over  a  hasty  and  not  an  elegant  cold  supper, 
washed  down  with  the  least  of  small  wines.  No 
body  liked  the  meal,  but  nobody  complained ;  they 
put  a  good  face  upon  it,  one  and  all,  and  made  a 
great  clattering  of  knives  and  forks.  To  see  Leon 
eating  a  single  cold  sausage  was  to  see  a  triumph ; 
by  the  time  he  had  done  he  had  got  through  as 


420     NEW    ARABIAN    NIGH1S 

much  pantomime  as  would  have  sufficed  for  a 
baron  of  beef,  and  he  had  the  relaxed  expression 
of  the  over-eaten. 

As  Elvira  had  naturally  taken  a  place  by  the 
side  of  Leon,  and  Stubbs  as  naturally,  although 
I  believe  unconsciously,  by  the  side  of  Elvira,  the 
host  and  hostess  were  left  together.  Yet  it  was 
to  be  noted  that  they  never  addressed  a  word  to 
each  other,  nor  so  much  as  suffered  their  eyes  to 
meet.  The  interrupted  skirmish  still  survived  in 
ill  feeling;  and  the  instant  the  guests  departed 
it  would  break  forth  again  as  bitterly  as  ever. 
The  talk  wandered  from  this  to  that  subject  — 
for  with  one  accord  the  party  had  declared  it  was 
too  late  to  go  to  bed ;  but  those  two  never  relaxed 
towards  each  other;  Goneril  and  Regan  in  a 
sisterly  tiff  were  not  more  bent  on  enmity. 

It  chanced  that  Elvira  was  so  much  tired  by 
all  the  little  excitements  of  the  night,  that  for 
once  she  laid  aside  her  company  manners,  which 
were  both  easy  and  correct,  and  in  the  most  nat 
ural  manner  in  the  world  leaned  her  head  on  Leon's 
shoulder.  At  the  same  time,  fatigue  suggesting 
tenderness,  she  locked  the  fingers  of  her  right  hand 
into  those  of  her  husband's  left;  and,  half  closing 
her  eyes,  dozed  off  into  a  golden  borderland  be 
tween  sleep  and  waking.  But  all  the  time  she 
was  not  unaware  of  what  was  passing,  and  saw 
the  painter's  wife  studying  her  with  looks  between 
contempt  and  envy. 

It  occurred  to  Leon  that  his  constitution  de 
manded  the  use  of  some  tobacco;  and  he  undid 


NEW    ARABIAN    NIGHTS    421 

his  fingers  from  Elvira's  in  order  to  roll  a  ciga 
rette.  It  was  gently  done,  and  he  took  care  that 
his  indulgence  should  in  no  other  way  disturb 
his  wife's  position.  But  it  seemed  to  catch  the 
eye  of  the  painter's  wife  with  a  special  signifi- 
cancy.  She  looked  straight  before  her  for  an 
instant,  and  then,  with  a  swift  and  stealthy  move 
ment,  took  hold  of  her  husband's  hand  below  the 
table.  Alas!  she  might  have  spared  herself  the 
dexterity.  For  the  poor  fellow  was  so  overcome 
by  this  caress  that  he  stopped  with  his  mouth  open 
in  the  middle  of  a  word,  and  by  the  expression 
of  his  face  plainly  declared  to  all  the  company 
that  his  thoughts  had  been  diverted  into  softer 
channels. 

If  it  had  not  been  rather  amiable,  it  would  have 
been  absurdly  droll.  His  wife  at  once  withdrew 
her  touch;  but  it  was  plain  she  had  to  exert  some 
force.  Thereupon  the  young  man  coloured  and 
looked  for  a  moment  beautiful. 

Leon  and  Elvira  both  observed  the  by-play,  and 
a  shock  passed  from  one  to  the  other;  for  they 
were  inveterate  match-makers,  especially  between 
those  who  were  already  married. 

"  I  beg  your  pardon,"  said  Leon,  suddenly.  "  I 
see  no  use  in  pretending.  Before  we  came  in  here 
we  heard  sounds  indicating  —  if  I  may  so  express 
myself  —  an  imperfect  harmony." 

"  Sir "  began  the  man. 

But  the  woman  was  beforehand. 

"  It  is  quite  true,"  she  said.  "  I  see  no  cause 
to  be  ashamed.  If  my  husband  is  mad  I  shall  at 


422     NEW    ARABIAN    NIGHTS 

least  do  my  utmost  to  prevent  the  consequences. 
Picture  to  yourself.  Monsieur  and  Madame/'  she 
went  on,  for  she  passed  Stubbs  over,  "  that  this 
wretched  person  —  a  dauber,  an  incompetent,  not 
fit  to  be  a  sign-painter  —  receives  this  morning 
an  admirable  offer  from  an  uncle  —  an  uncle  of 
my  own,  my  mother's  brother,  and  tenderly  be 
loved  —  of  a  clerkship  with  nearly  a  hundred  and 
fifty  pounds  a  year,  and  that  he  —  picture  to  your 
self! —  he  refused  it!  Why?  For  the  sake  of 
Art,  he  says.  Look  at  his  art,  I  say  —  look  at 
it !  Is  it  fit  to  be  seen  ?  Ask  him  —  is  it  fit  to  be 
sold?  And  it  is  for  this,  Monsieur  and  Madame, 
that  he  condemns  me  to  the  most  deplorable  exist 
ence,  without  luxuries,  without  comforts,  in  a  vile 
suburb  of  a  country  town.  O  non !  "  she  cried, 
"  non  —  je  ne  me  tairai  pas  —  c'est  plus  fort  que 
moi!  I  take  these  gentlemen  and  this  lady  for 
judges  —  is  this  kind  ?  is  it  decent  ?  is  it  manly  ? 
Do  I  not  deserve  better  at  his  hands  after  having 
married  him  and  "  —  (a  visible  hitch)  —  "  done 
everything  in  the  world  to  please  him  ?  " 

I  doubt  if  there  were  ever  a  more  embarrassed 
company  at  a  table;  every  one  looked  like  a  fool; 
and  the  husband  like  the  biggest. 

"  The  art  of  Monsieur,  however,"  said  Elvira, 
breaking  the  silence,  "  is  not  wanting  in  distinc 
tion." 

"  It  has  this  distinction,"  said  the  wife,  "  that 
nobody  will  buy  it." 

"  I  should  have  supposed  a  clerkship  — —  "  be 
gan  Stubbs. 


NEW    ARABIAN    NIGHTS     423 

"  Art  is  Art,"  swept  in  Leon.  "  I  salute  Art. 
It  is  the  beautiful,  the  divine;  it  is  the  spirit  of 

the  world,  and  the  pride  of  life.  But '  And 

the  actor  paused. 

"  A  clerkship  -     - "  began  Stubbs. 

"  I  '11  tell  you  what  it  is,"  said  the  painter.  "  I 
am  an  artist,  and  as  this  gentleman  says,  Art  is 
this  and  the  other;  but  of  course,  if  my  wife  is 
going  to  make  my  life  a  piece  of  perdition  all  day 
long,  I  prefer  to  go  and  drown  myself  out  of 
hand." 

"Go!"  said  his  wife.  "I  should  like  to  see 
you!" 

"  I  was  going  to  say,"  resumed  Stubbs,  "  that  a 
fellow  may  be  a  clerk  and  paint  almost*  as  much 
as  he  likes.  I  know  a  fellow  in  a  bank  who  makes 
capital  water-colour  sketches ;  he  even  sold  one  for 
seven-and-six." 

To  both  the  women  this  seemed  a  plank  of 
safety;  each  hopefully  interrogated  the  counte 
nance  of  her  lord;  even  Elvira,  an  artist  herself! 
—  but  indeed  there  must  be  something  perma 
nently  mercantile  in  the  female  nature.  The  two 
men  exchanged  a  glance;  it  was  tragic;  not  other 
wise  might  two  philosophers  salute,  as  at  the  end 
of  a  laborious  life  each  recognised  that  he  was 
still  a  mystery  to  his  disciples. 

Leon  arose. 

"Art  is  Art,"  he  repeated,  sadly.  "It  is  not 
water-colour  sketches,  nor  practising  on  a  piano. 
It  is  a  life  to  be  lived." 

"  And  in  the  meantime  people  starve !  "  observed 


N^W    AKAblAN     JNIUHTS 

the  woman  of  the  house.  "  If  that 's  a  life,  it  is 
not  one  for  me." 

"  I  '11  tell  you  what,"  burst  forth  Leon ;  "  you, 
Madame,  go  into  another  room  and  talk  it  over 
with  my  wife ;  and  I  '11  stay  here  and  talk  it  over 
with  your  husband.  It  may  come  to  nothing,  but 
let 's  try." 

"  I  am  very  willing,"  replied  the  young  woman ; 
and  she  proceeded  to  light  a  candle.  "  This  way, 
if  you  please."  And  she  led  Elvira  up-stairs  into 
a  bedroom. 

"  The  fact  is,"  said  she,  sitting  down,  "  that  my 
husband  cannot  paint." 

"  No  more  can  mine  act,"  replied  Elvira. 

"  I  should  have  thought  he  could,"  returned  the 
other ;  "  he  seems  clever." 

"  He  is  so,  and  the  best  of  men  besides,"  said 
Elvira ;  "  but  he  cannot  act." 

"  At  least  he  is  not  a  sheer  humbug  like  mine ; 
he  can  at  least  sing." 

"  You  mistake  Leon,"  returned  his  wife,  warmly. 
"  He  does  not  even  pretend  to  sing ;  he  has  too  fine 
a  taste;  he  does  so  for  a  living.  And,  believe 
me,  neither  of  the  men  are  humbugs.  They  are 
people  with  a  mission  —  which  they  cannot  carry 
out." 

"  Humbug  or  not,"  replied  the  other,  "  you  came 
very  near  passing  the  night  in  the  fields ;  and,  for 
my  part,  I  live  in  terror  of  starvation.  I  should 
think  it  was  a  man's  mission  to  think  twice  about 
his  wife.  But  it  appears  not.  Nothing  is  their 
mission  but  to  play  the  fool.  Oh !  "  she  broke  out, 


NEW    ARABIAN    NIGHTS    425 

"  is  it  not  something  dreary  to  think  of  that  man 
of  mine?  If  he  could  only  do  it,  who  would  care? 
But  no  —  not  he  —  no  more  than  I  can !  " 

"  Have  you  any  children  ?  "  asked  Elvira. 

"  No ;   but  then  I  may." 

"  Children  change  so  much/'  said  Elvira,  with  a 
sigh. 

And  just  then  from  the  room  below  there  flew 
up  a  sudden  snapping  chord  on  the  guitar;  one 
followed  after  another;  then  the  voice  of  Leon 
joined  in;  and  there  was  an  air  being  played  and 
sung  that  stopped  the  speech  of  the  two  women. 
The  wife  of  the  painter  stood  like  a  person  trans 
fixed;  Elvra,  looking  into  her  eyes,  could  see  all 
manner  of  beautiful  memories  and  kind  thoughts 
that  were  passing  in  and  out  of  her  soul  with 
every  note;  it  was  a  piece  of  her  youth  that 
forent  before  her;  a  green  French  plain,  the 
smell  of  apple-flowers,  the  far  and  shining  ring 
lets  of  a  river,  and  the  words  and  presence  of 
love. 

"  Leon  has  hit  the  nail,"  thought  Elvira  to  her 
self,  "  I  wonder  how." 

The  how  was  plain  enough.  Leon  had  asked 
the  painter  if  there  were  no  air  connected  with 
courtship  and  pleasant  times;  and  having  learned 
what  he  wished,  and  allowed  an  interval  to  paw, 
he  had  soared  forth  into 

"  O  mon  am  ante, 
O  mon  desir, 
Sachons  cueillir 
L'heure  charmante !  * 


426     NEW    ARABIAN    NIGHTS 

"  Pardon  me,  Madame,"  said  the  painter's  wife, 
"your  husband  sings  admirably  well." 

"  He  sings  that  with  some  feeling/'  replied 
Elvira,  critically,  although  she  was  a  little  moved 
herself,  for  the  song  cut  both  ways  in  the  upper 
chamber ;  "  but  it  is  as  an  actor  and  not  as  a 
musician." 

"  Life  is  very  sad,"  said  the  other;  "  it  so  wastes 
away  under  one's  fingers." 

"  I  have  not  found  it  so,"  replied  Elvira.  "  I 
think  the  good  parts  of  it  last  and  grow  greater 
every  day." 

"  Frankly,  how  would  you  advise  me?  " 

"  Frankly,  I  would  let  my  husband  do  what  he 
wished.  He  is  obviously  a  very  loving  painter; 
you  have  not  yet  tried  him  as  a  clerk.  And  you 
know  —  if  it  were  only  as  the  possible  father  of 
your  children  —  it  is  as  well  to  keep  him  at  his 
best." 

"  He  is  an  excellent  fellow,"  said  the  wife. 

They  kept  it  up  till  sunrise  with  music  and  all 
manner  of  good-fellowship;  and  at  sunrise,  while 
the  sky  was  still  temperate  and  clear,  they  sepa 
rated  on  the  threshold  with  a  thousand  excellent 
wishes  for  each  other's  welfare.  Castel-le-Gachis 
was  beginning  to  send  up  its  smoke  against  the 
golden  East;  and  the  church  bell  was  ringing 
six. 

"  My  guitar  is  a  familiar  spirit,"  said  Leon, 
as  he  and  Elvira  took  the  nearest  way  toward 
the  inn ;  "it  resuscitated  a  Commissary,  created 


NEW    ARABIAN    NIGHTS     427 

an  English  tourist,  and  reconciled  a  man  and 
wife." 

Stubbs,  on  his  part,  went  off  into  the  morning 
with  reflections  of  his  own. 

"  They  are  all  mad,"  thought  he,  "  all  mad  — 
but  wonderfully  decent." 


RETURN     CIRCULATION  DEPARTMENT 
TO—*      202  Main  Library 

LOAN  PERIOD  1 
HOME  USE 

2 

3 

4 

5 

6 

ALL  BOOKS  MAY  BE  RECALLED  AFTER  7  DAYS 

1  -month  loons  may  be  renewed  by  calling  642-3405 

6-month  loans  may  be  recharged  by  bringing  books  to  Circulation  Desk 

Renewals  and  recharges  may  be  made  4  days  prior  to  due  date 

DUE  AS  STAMPED  BELOW 


SEP  0  1  2001 


$3 


AUTC.PI5C.JW     8  '8 


APR     6  I98/' 


I!1- 


REC.cm.  SEP23 


UKCUUTIQN 

JUL  05 1995 


\  T 


-JtttrH- 


ORNIA,  BERKELEY 
FORM  NO.  DD6,  60m,  12/80        BERKELEY  CA  94720 


GENERAL  UBBflBy.u.C.BEBKELEY 


B000820S7S 


868749 


THE  UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA  LIBRARY 


